Knowing what's really there
by Hellmouth23
Summary: They've been rescued but why does he want to go back there now and what is Kate hiding? Read more to find out? Will get M rated in later chapters.CHAP 19 IS UP!
1. Chapter 1

Knowing what's really there 

**Hey guys I just wanted to put this idea out there because it's been playing in my head for the last few days and I'm gonna go crazy if I don't write it down so here it is. I don't know whether I should leave it as a one shot or continue with it so that possibility is still open for you guys.**

**Summary : Concludes from where the season 3 finale left off, well the way I see it.**

**I do not own lost but I damn well wish I did!!**

Enjoy

"We have to go back kate" he kept on shouting over and over and once her car disappeared into the still of the night, he simply collapsed onto the cold floor, covered his face with his trembling hands and cried for what he had lost, what he had given up due to his obsession with wanting to go back there.

Ever since they had been rescued, things for him had gone downhill and losing kate in the process seemed to be the last straw. Tonight had been the first time he had seen her in months and he had never been so happy to finally see her tonight looking as beautiful as the first day he saw her, but once again he drove her away, just like everything else in his life and now all he had was himself to blame. "_This is not what your supposed to do Jack"_ ; what exactly did Locke mean by that, jack kept on asking himself. Would life have been different if they had stayed on the island, would things between him and kate have been any different. Those thoughts kept plaguing him and suddenly his mind went back to their last night on the island, the night that changed his life completely.

(Flashback)

_The whole island was filled with cheers and rejoices at the knowledge that they were finally getting off this island once and for all, but not everyone was in a rejoicing mood at the time. Desmond had informed them all about Charlie and Claire just went into her tent with aaron in response and just asked that she be left alone for the rest of the day. They willingly complied and delivered their condolences to the shattered woman. _

_Locke on the other hand just sat still at the edge of the ocean the whole time, gazing intently over the horizon and thinking of what his true path in life was. He was certain that it was here, on this island but yet again he was deceived, deceived by the island and deceived by the people who he thought were the "good guys" as Ben put it so many times to him. In that very moment he looked to his right and saw the very man who he had held at gun point earlier on today. He looked ecstatic judging by the way he was laughing and joking with the blonde woman. Although he couldn't help but ignore the fact that this was not the right thing to do, for him or for them but unfortunately jack and the others refused to believe him so he kept to himself for the rest of the day and basked in the loneliness of his life once again._

_Truth be told, a part of her felt happy about being rescued but the other part was suddenly reminded of what she would face back in the real world, what she did, and in realisation of that she almost at one point thought of staying behind but to a certain extent she saw no point in it because now more than ever she wanted to face her problems, face what she did because then maybe just maybe she would be good enough for him she thought to herself glancing over at him sitting with juliet. She couldn't help but feel a slight twinge of hurt at seeing him laughing and joking with the same woman who had kissed him in front of her earlier on today, but she suddenly remembered that what she did to him with sawyer was a considerably more painful ordeal to deal with it, so in a way she should have seen this coming but still she felt cheated and betrayed, then again that's the story of my life she told herself bitterly, and with that she wiped away the tears that had now gathered there and she stood to leave when she suddenly felt something or someone stop her._

_She looked down at her right hand which was within the grasp of a much stronger hand and upon noticing the all familiar features of it's surgeon like structure, she smiled and looked up at him, getting lost in his deep brown eyes once again._

_"Can we talk?" he asked, snapping her out of her gaze. In response she just simply nodded and ushered him towards her tent. Once they stepped inside, he sat down on the makeshift and signalled for her to do the same._

_"Kate, about what I said earlier I re…" he started to say but was cut off by kate who went off about how she wasn't good enough for him yet again and he literally didn't wanna hear it anymore so he simply leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers, the force of the kiss pushing her gently back into the bed and in response she gradually wrapped her arms around his neck arching herself further into him, making him moan lightly at the feel of her clothed skin rubbing against his, making him more wanting of expressing what he had felt for her for so long now. He pulled away from her gasping lips and rested his forehead against hers, looking deeply into her now dark and lustful eyes and that was all the confirmation he needed and with that he lowered his lips to hers once again, inching his hand under her tank top and gently rubbing the tender, warm skin that lay underneath it._

_"Jack" she breathed into his mouth and in response he briefly pulled away to remove her tank top and once she laid down in front of him, baring her soul to him, he couldn't help but feel truly happy that he had crashed here and found someone like her because before this, he felt like he was living in the shell of someone else, someone who had no reason to exist, no purpose in life but here, with her right now he felt whole and happy once again and he certainly wasn't gonna let go of it anytime soon. So he lowered himself over her once again and whispered those three words again to her for the second time today but this time it felt different, this time she whispered it back to him again and again making him smile with joy and relief that she indeed felt the same way and with that expressed, he then decided to show her the next best thing to saying it. He briefly kissed her on the lips once more and then moved his lips down to her chin, then the underside of her jaw exploring every inch of her neck in the process and then moving lower and lower, removing everything that prohibited him from loving the woman he loved._

_In the midst of this he pulled away once again to remove his clothes, briefly putting on a little show for her and once he was done, he spread himself over her once again and said those words again before sealing it with a kiss and slipping inside of her in one quick thrust. They both revelled in the new connection and they couldn't also dismiss the fact that for once in their lives, they both knew that this felt right, this was where they were meant to be and this is who they were meant to be with all along and with that the two lovers made love continuously into the night, both exchanging promises of commitment and dedication._

(End of flashback)

The drive back home was a short one and she practically cried the whole way back, not believing that this was him now, this was the way he was living his life, flying everywhere to see if he would crash on that God forsaken island once again. His very dishevelled and pained appearance was enough to spring tears of sadness and concern to her eyes once again, but she couldn't afford to give into her grief now because unlike him she had a purpose in life, someone to live for.

Before she knew it, she was approaching her dimly lit house which her father Sam had offered to her once he found out that his daughter was alive once again. At first she was a little reluctant to take it but since the charges against her had been dropped upon her return, she saw no real harm in accepting his help because whether she wished to believe it or not, she needed help, a stepping stone in the right direction.

She parked in the driveway and walked in through the front door to only have the same scene she witnessed everyday. Her son sitting on the sofa, watching his weekly cartoons, not even bothering to grace her with so much as a hello. She knew the reason he was mad with her, but she had no choice but to do it this way. So she walked in and stood in front of the TV switching it off and making him groan in annoyance at what she did. _God he looked like him when he did that!_ she noted with a slight smile.

"Common Sammy it's time for bed" she announced making the boy get up and drag his feet upstairs but he stopped halfway and turned around to ask her something.

"Momma, who have you been going to see all this time?" the little boy asked making his Mother seriously think about answering this with the utmost care because she was the only one who knew who his father really was. All sammy knew was that he was a good man and that wherever he was, he loved him.

"Um no one honey, he's just an old friend. Now come on let's get you to bed!" she replied in a hurried manner hoping that he would drop it there, but like his father he never gave up.

"Is he my daddy?" the boy asked in a somewhat hopeful manner making kate simply hang her head in shame but she managed to mask the pain for the moment and simply smiled at her son in response, nodding in a negative manner. In return the boy just hung his head in disappointment and ran on upstairs to his room not even knowing that she had just lied to him.

**So what do you think guys worth continuing?? **


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 

**Hey guys thanks so much for the positive feedback and don't worry because I will be explaining why jack and kate went their separate ways, and why she never told him about Sammy! All will be revealed so do stick around!**

Enjoy

_(Flashback )_

_They had been back in civilisation for 3 years now and a lot had changed within those three years, especially for jack and kate. On the helicopter ride back, jack kept on begging kate to stop running but he knew better than to try and win over the fact that when her mind was made up, there was no changing it, so the rest of the ride back was a slow and silent one and once they arrived at Sydney she was gone before he could turn around and offer her as much as a goodbye kiss. Things from there on had gone downhill for one Jack Shepherd._

_He thought that by coming here, that things would be better for him, he would have kate and maybe from there on they could try and live a normal life, together but now all he was left holding was a bag containing his belongings and the golden pass which was given out to all the survivors of the "Infamous Oceanic Flight 815" as every news headline put it._

_"Hey Doc, I'm sure she'll be fine, she was doing it because she didn't want you to get hurt" sawyer said, coming over and patting the discouraged Doctor on the back, but what no one seemed to realize was the fact that by her leaving him, here, alone, she was hurting him a lot more, to the point where he felt like ending his life once and for all to try and overcome the growing pain in his heart._

_"Hey jack are you gonna be okay?" Claire asked coming over to him while holding a sleeping Aaron in her arms. He briefly hung his head to push away the tears and when he felt he composed himself enough to speak he simply raised his gaze to meet Claire's and he smiled saying..._

_"A" okay sis" and with that said he said his goodbyes to his new found sister and friends and following that, he hopped on the next plane back to L.A., thinking of what he was going to do with his life now, how he was gonna live without her, sleep without her, breathe without her, but he knew that the possibility of seeing her anytime soon would be a very small one so once he arrived at LAX Airport, he stopped off at the nearest Bar to try and drown the mind numbing pain which was starting to strain on his already breaking heart._

_(Meanwhile)_

_She had been running for 2 hours straight and even though her instincts were telling her to continue, her legs were definitely telling her a different story so she took a few minutes to get her breathing back an walked into the Diner she was at before she continued on with her directionless journey._

_"This is CNN News, today's headlines, "It's a miracle". Today the survivors of the infamous Oceanic Flight 815 were discovered on a secluded island off the South Pacific after almost two years when the mysterious crash occurred. Among the survivors was the well known Miracle working Surgeon Jack Shepherd and former fugitive Kate Austen and in other news..._

_She zoned out from there on because she couldn't get over the fact of what she had just heard, "former fugitive". Could it be possible, am I finally free she asked herself, her heart filled with hope. So in an effort to satisfy her curiosity, she decided to find the nearest phone box to make a call and find out for sure._

_"Katie?" The elderly man on the other side asked with shock and relief in his voice._

_" Daddy" kate replied in a trembling manner, feeling so happy to hear his voice again._

_"Where are you Katie?" he asked immediately, not wanting to beat around the bush. In response the line went silent for a while and then she just said "Sydney" and from there on he went onto explain to her about the charges being dropped against her and the fact that she was indeed a free woman now, a free woman who could start anew and with said she just collapsed onto the floor of the phone box and just broke down in complete relief. Shortly after that her father had insisted that she come back to the States and stay with him for a while, at least until she got on her own two feet and with a little more convincing she got on the next plane to L.A. where her Father was currently residing in. Little did she know that there was someone else special to her living in the same place._

_On the flight back she started to feel quite nauseous and squirmish. At first she put it down to the turbulence but as time went on, it grew fairly worse to the point where she literally bolted to the bathroom and threw up the contents of what she had managed to get into her system. She soon recovered and spent the rest of the flight wondering what was going on with her and then suddenly her mind went back to the last night on the island, the last night where she had spent the night in jack's arms, caressing him, kissing him, loving him and then the realisation and the consequences of that night started to hit her. She immediately looked at her firm tummy with tears in her eyes and laid a hand on it, wondering whether in fact she was._

_Three years later now she had a beautiful little boy who made her think of his father every time she stared into those deep brown hazel eyes of his which she knew would drive girls crazy when he grew up but of course being a protective Mother, she didn't want to even think of her baby ever leaving her so she just decided instead to enjoy every day with him by embracing life to the fullest, by giving him what he wanted, but the one thing he did want she couldn't give him not because she didn't want to but because she didn't want to intrude on jack's life in any way, she didn't want to weigh him down with her problems, especially ever since she was informed by Claire that Jack may have moved on after all and as much as it broke her heart to hear it, she felt happy that he was happy and from there on she decided to keep their little boy Sammy a secret._

_He sat down in his office and gazed blankly outside the window, just like he did every damn day, only today he felt even more miserable because he had just lost a patient, but not just any patient, it was Juliet._

_About a year ago they had bumped into each other coincidentally and from there on they had decided to stay in touch and they became good friends as a result, but as time progressed they became closer and closer and soon they just gave into the feelings which started to erupt between them. For the first time in a long time jack felt that maybe, just maybe things didn't seem so bad after all but he also couldn't help but feel that a part of his heart always longed to be with kate, to hold her, to make love to her once again and as much as he wanted to ignore it, he couldn't keep living a lie with juliet so he made the decision that tonight he would talk to her about their relationship._

_So from there on he started to count down the hours and the sooner the time came, the sooner he became more nervous about what would happen but as long as he thought of kate, he knew that he could get through this somehow. So with that in mind he started his car and drove on towards the apartment he now shared with juliet._

_He soon pulled into the driveway and as he walked in through the front door, he was met with a set of lips welcoming him home from his long day at work and as much as he wanted to pull away, he just wanted to bask in the temporary comfort that she offered at the moment so with that they took what they were engaged in into the bedroom and to Jack's surprise it happened not once but three times and then she simply collapsed onto the bed exhausted and slowly closed her eyes giving into it. Jack on the other hand just laid there staring at the ceiling with tears in his eyes. He felt like he was betraying kate, cheating on her. He felt dirty and used and then his mind drifted back to the island. Even though the place had it's ups and downs, things between him and kate seemed to be so much easier and better and he couldn't help but think of whether things would have turned out different if they had never been rescued. Would they still be together? He wondered to himself._

_Those thoughts kept on lingering in his mind for the rest of the night and soon the daylight shone in through the window and the feel of the woman next to him wrapping her arms around his neck, distracted him out of his thoughts._

_"Hey" she said leaning forward to catch his lips in a morning kiss but this time he was fully aware and under control of his actions so he just kissed her on the cheek instead and shot out of bed to get ready for work, although he was suddenly stopped by juliet asking if he was okay. He pulled his hand out of her grasp, a little roughly than intended and said that he was fine but she only got more pissed off as a result of this and soon it turned into an argument and once it was over the last thing he heard was the slamming of the front door and then he was forced to welcome the loneliness of his life once again. After a few more minutes of sitting in his still apartment, he got ready for work and drove to the dreaded hospital not even knowing what had just happened a few streets down._

_As he walked in through the front doors, a stretcher was rolled in alongside him and at first glance he just dismissed it and started to walk away but he noticed that there was something familiar about the person lying in the stretcher and as he walked back to get a second look it was in fact..._

_"Juliet?" he managed to utter in shock of seeing her in such a critical condition._

_"What happened?" he asked one of the paramedics._

_"Car crash" he simply said and then hurried on down to ICU with jack in tow saying that he was going to operate because he thought that he could fix this, but unfortunately four hours later that didn't seem to be the case and they were forced to call it, leaving jack to feel like a complete failure yet again. He firstly couldn't fix his and kate's relationship and now he couldn't even fix the woman laying dead in front of him. Again his thoughts drifted back to the island and he wondered yet again, would things have been any different, he wanted to know._

**So there it is guys, my first entire flashback chapter!! The next chapter will have more current jate interaction, I just wanted to include what happened since they were rescued and who I thought was in that coffin. So please tell me what you think and I'll get typing with the next very jate centric update.**

**P.S. I'm so sorry jaters for including the whole Jack/Juliet relationship but I seriously think that she was the one in that coffin because he wouldn't get that emotional over someone like Ben or Sawyer, so that's what I think!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

**Wow thanks guys so much for all the positive feedback because I was seriously worried that I wouldn't get any reviews due to all the jack/juliet interaction but seriously thank you and I can assure you from now on there's gonna be more jate. Promise. Anyway without further interruption here it is.**

**P.S. Just thought I would repost this chapter guys because the grammatical errors were literally screaming at me to be changed so I did, plus there are a few bits that I put in as well.**

Enjoy

This was the sixth time he had called her and still she would keep on hanging up on him, telling him to let it go but how could he after what they had been through after what they had been doing for these past few months. He was sick of the way she would just leave in the morning without so much as a goodbye or even a quick note. _Was he a temporary source of relief for her, is that all it was?_ He asked himself, he just had to know so he decided to call Claire and find out where kate was living and as he moved to his bedroom to get to his phone on the bedside stand, he briefly looked at his bed and he could still imagine her lying there, the sheets just covering her naked body and him curled around her, spooning her from behind and just staring at her in awe at her beautiful, still form and the way it fit with his so well.

_(Flashback - 2 months ago)_

_Following the weeks after making preparations for the funeral, jack decided to take a long sabbatical to get over the new addition of grief he was now going under and the new Chief of Surgery was more than willing to comply, in fact he said that he could take the next few months off if he wanted because whether jack knew it or not, the other doctors at the hospital really regarded him as one of their best and losing him in any way would be utterly disastrous. _

_So a few days later he decided to take a little walk down to the town center to pick up some groceries because today morning when he woke up, he woke up to an empty fridge yet again and as much as he just wanted to get back into bed and sulk, he knew he had to get his life in check once again, so he quickly showered and dressed and left his house feeling slightly better and fresher, but little did he know that today he would see something that would change his life completely._

_Meanwhile..._

_Kate had just got off the phone with Claire and was gonna get down to preparing lunch before little Sammy got back from kinder garden school, but once she walked into the kitchen and started planning out his meal, she was missing a few ingredients, so she looked at the clock situated on the opposite wall and saw that she had a few minutes to spare so she quickly got dressed and left her apartment, jogging into the town center which just happened to be a few blocks from where she lived. _

_Ten minutes later she was at their local Quickie Mart, ushering in a trolley through the bustling entrance and rushing through the isles of food and spices to pick out what she wanted, although one of the things she required was literally stacked right on the top shelf and at first she had thought about forgetting about it but then she felt to see if the shelves were strong enough to maintain her weight and when she was satisfied with the outcome, she brought out the hiker in her and started climbing the shelves to get to what she wanted. In the end she was successful in getting what she required but on the way down her leg slipped and the next minute she was falling without anything to hold onto and with that she simply closed her eyes to prepare herself for the ugly fall but she suddenly found herself stopping and as she gradually opened her eyes she saw that she was in the arms of a tall and fairly strong man she noted upon inspection but once her gaze travelled higher, she started to feel something familiar within her, something she hadn't felt since she was on the island and immediately like a magnet her eyes caught his and they were both astounded at what they were seeing._

"_Kate?" jack managed to get out widening his eyes to act the genuine shock and sudden happiness he was feeling inside at finally seeing her again. For a few more minutes he just kept staring at her, her still in his arms and then finally she let out a light laugh snapping him out of his reverie and then he suddenly let her down onto the floor with the utmost care, making her heart melt for him once again at his gentleness but she suddenly reminded herself that she wasn't allowed to feel this way about him so she nervously twiddled her thumbs while he just tucked his hands into his jean pockets and waited for her to say something._

"_So how's life been treating you jack?" she asked him with a teasing smile making him chuckle at first and then suddenly frown upon thinking about his life at the moment because it was anything but cheerful and generous, but in the end he decided to just answer with a smile and simply say that everything was okay. Following this there was yet another moment of silence and then they both spoke at once, laughing at the way they were behaving but before jack could get another word in he saw kate suddenly looking at her watch and then rush off saying that she had to go off but before as she walked up past him, she subconsciously brushed her arm against his and the contact sent electrifying chills down his spine and in that very moment he decided to act on his sudden impulse to do what his heart longed to since he had seen her, so he grabbed her wrist turning her around to face him and once she was in line with his gaze, he leaned forward without warning and crashed his lips upon hers engaging her in a deep and lustrous kiss which she was startled with at first but as his tongue pushed into her mouth, she let go of all her inhibitions and simply wrapped her arms around his neck kissing him with the same passion and intensity but then she suddenly realised that they were in the middle of a very populated supermarket so she pulled away to stop him and get her breath back, but jack on the other hand just buried his face in her neck and started sucking and biting at the now glistening skin and in response she just dipped her head back and grasped his head even closer to her in an effort to revel in the sensation of his tongue travelling up and down the expanse of her neck and then moving to dip the tip of his tongue into the hollow of her collarbone, making her suddenly moan his name out rather loudly and then suddenly realise what was happening. _

"_Jack we have to stop!" she said trying to push him off but still he refused to pull away so she tried to push him off with a little more force and this time he suddenly snapped back into realisation and apologised immediately for his behaviour, but another part of him wanted to ask her why she made him pull away? he asked himself, did she still not feel the way he did for her?, did she have someone? Those questions kept on plaguing his mind and he was so engrossed in his thoughts that he didn't even hear her trying to get his attention._

"_Huh" he simply said forcing her to repeat what she had just said minutes ago._

"_I said that maybe we should forget that this is ever happened!!" she said talking about what just nearly happened moments ago, but instead of backing down and respecting her space he daringly walked forward saying…._

"_What if I don't want to" he simply replied, making her suddenly wary not just of him but of herself as well, so in the end she didn't respond, instead she just offered him a brief goodbye and said that she needed to get back to her life and with that she left him broken and alone once again. _

_Although a few days later, they had met by chance once again and this time jack was more adamant in spending more time with her so they mutually agreed to catch up by going out to dinner that night and of course one thing led to another and before she knew it, he was driving them to his apartment and once they arrived, they quickly vacated his car and burst through the front door, him carrying her in his arms and their lips literally biting at each other, acting upon the deprived feeling that had been suppressed all this time and with that they moved further into his apartment and he slammed her against the nearest wall, pulling away briefly to remove the straps of her dress and then moving his lips to the skin that became uncovered once the silky garment was removed. He then pulled away and dragged his finger along the expanse of her underwear clad body and once he reached her panties, he dipped his finger inside and slipped in with ease judging by the fact that she was already wet and wanting for him, so with that he started thrusting his finger in and out of her while moving his mouth close to hers and then sticking his tongue to capture and caress hers while she started to unbutton his shirt and then pull away briefly to remove it and then uncover the expanse of his hairy and masculine chest which was now moving rapidly along with the thrusts he was making with his finger within her. Once she was satisfied with her fill of running her hands through the hair on his chest, she started to feel the beginnings of her release upon her and in an effort to be near him and feel him, she sneaked one of her hands to the button of hiss dress pants and undid it in a hurried fashion to get to the increasing bulge that itched to be released and within seconds his dress pants were down along with his boxers and she was stroking the swollen length of his hard cock right up to the swelling and glistening tip and in response he just pressed his palm against her clit while still thrusting his finger within her and the very next minute she came screaming into his gasping mouth as he too neared his own release and in seconds of her orgasm he reached his and spilled himself into her hands and then without breaking eye contact with him, she brought her hand up to her mouth and licked away his release, closing her eyes and moaning at the taste. To his surprise the sight of her doing that made him harden again and this time they stripped themselves of the confines that stopped them from connecting and when they were completely bare in front of each other's hungry eyes, he walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her waist and then without any warning whatsoever he picked her up and carried her towards the direction of his bedroom and shut the door with the back of his foot once he was on the other side. He stopped at the foot of the bed and gently lowered her onto it and at first she thought that he would join her but he used his right hand to push her flat on the bed while he still stood in the same position giving her a good view of him once she was lying down, watching him in his aroused state._

"_Are you gonna join me?" she asked teasingly raising her eyebrows and moving her foot to rub along the expanse of his body, the tips of her toes moving through his chest hair and then moving lower and lower until he caught it in his hand, first placing an open mouthed kiss on the sole of her foot and then moving to her ankle, then to her calf and then to her disappointment he suddenly pulled away not because he wanted to but because he was so hard, he didn't think he would last very long so he bent over to take hold of her waist and he slowly pulled her off the bed, her crease now making slight contact with the tip of his cock and then with one more slight pull, he gradually buried his length into her depth, her inner walls already starting to tighten on him, making him throw his head back and moan loudly at the feeling and then start to move within her. _

_With each thrust, he felt himself grow more hard and then slide deeper into her slippery depth and it wasn't until he was buried within her right up to the core, that he felt her starting to arch her body even higher clearly suggesting that she was nearing her release once again so he pulled out of her still hard as a rock and the loss made her open her eyes with a start and before she could say anything he cut her off firstly with a kiss and then he pulled away saying..._

"_I want to feel you against me when I come inside you" he said and with that he pushed her back onto the bed with his body and once he was deliciously spread over her, he caught her lips in a passionate kiss and slipped back inside and started moving within her once again, gradually bringing her to release not once, not twice but three times within a matter of seconds until he suddenly shouted and emptied himself within her and then engaged her in a loving and lasting kiss, gradually soothing each other into a blissful slumber. _

_(End of Flashback)_

That was the first time they had made love since the island and he could remember it like it was yesterday, but their meetings had suddenly stopped a few weeks ago when he said those three words to her while he was making love to her and in response she froze right away and gently pushed him off her, moving to retrieve her clothes and once she was dressed, she stopped at his front door and said that she would call him sometime. That was six weeks ago and yesterday was the first time he had seen her since then and the fact that she had walked away from him once again, made his heart hurt just that little bit more. Again he wondered about the island and how things use to be, especially between them, was what they had there anymore? he wondered; the sadness filling his heart. Little did he know the actual reason behind kate's sudden change in character, she was just as scared as he was, maybe even more.

**So there it is guys, chapter 3 refined! So will jack ever meet Sammy? Next chapter Jack meets an old friend who might be wanting the same thing he does!**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

**Hey guys here's the next update that will start to finally show some present jate interaction because I kind of felt it was about time so enjoy, and a big big thank you to everyone who reviewed and I seriously hope that you keep them comin because they seriously get me hyped up to write more.**

Enjoy

The sun blazing through his dishevelled apartment was not the only thing that had woken him up today but the ringing of his bedside phone had done the trick as well. Like every night he had drunk himself to sleep and last night he had consumed a bit more than usual in an effort to drown the mind numbing pain of his broken heart that could only be mended by the one person who constantly plagued his dreams, the person whom he had never had such strong feelings for before, the person he had, had a child with but never knew.

He looked at the caller display briefly hoping that it was kate but wishes were never granted in his case but he picked up the phone anyway.

"Hey Claire what's up?" he asked tiredly while rubbing his eyes of the sleep that had formed there.

"Hey jack how are you doing?" she asked her voice dripping with genuine concern for her brother. In response to her question jack just laughed bitterly and felt like telling her everything but he didn't want to involve anyone to deal with his mess because he could barely handle it himself so in the end he just answered her by saying that everything was okay. Although Claire on the other hand seemed less than convinced so she got off the phone with him and went about dialling another number which belonged to another friend of hers.

After jack had gotten off the phone with Claire he went to go check his calendar and as he guessed it, it was Friday which meant that it was that time again, that time to hope and pray that it would finally work and he would be back there again. So with that in mind he quickly washed up while getting out his suitcase out on the way to the bathroom. 15 minutes later he was dressed and ready to go but he was once again stopped by his phone going off and this time he seriously contemplated on ignoring it and just driving on towards to the airport but weirdly something kept on telling him to answer it, so with a sigh he threw his suitcase down to the floor and picked up the phone.

"Hey Claire I told you I'm fine i…"he said in a tired manner but he was suddenly interrupted by a voice on the other line, a voice which made his heart race and swell with hope.

"Jack it's me" the voice said softly with sadness in her voice.

"Kate?" jack managed to utter completely shocked at the fact that she was calling him.

_(Half an hour ago)_

_After Claire had gotten of the phone, she immediately called kate who at first said that she was busy at the moment but Claire demanded her attention because the blonde felt that in some ways, kate needed a stern voice to put her in the right direction because whether kate knew it or not, she was the reason he was like this now so Claire was adamant on making her understand that she needed to do something before it was too late and she would not have a brother anymore._

_"Claire I don't think that would be a good idea" kate said trying to push back the tears._

_"How the hell can you say that kate, he has a right to know that he has a son. Can you see what this is bloody doing to him, can't you see what your bloody doing to him!!" Claire screamed out in utter frustration at trying to get through to her. In response kate just simply broke down at that point, knowing what Claire was saying was true, he had a right to know about Sammy, he had a right to know about how she felt about him as well because he had said it and shown it to her already. So she took a few minutes to compose herself and decided upon what she was gonna do and a few minutes later she got back on the phone with Claire and told her what she was going to do now._

_(End of Flashback)_

"Hey jack" kate said with a hint of a smile in her voice, finding the fact that he kept on repeating her name quite amusing.

"Are you okay? Is something wrong?" he asked with genuine concern despite the heartache he was facing at the moment. Kate on the other hand felt like breaking down at witnessing his constant concern over her, he always put her problems before his.

She took a few more minutes to get a hold on her emotions and decide whether she wanted to do this or not, _here goes nothing_ she said to herself before she got back on the phone with jack.

"I was wondering if we could talk, but I don't wanna talk on the phone so can we meet up somewhere?" kate asked in one breath hoping that he wouldn't turn her down although that would be doubtful because he would always be there for her, however jack surprised her with what he said next.

"I'm sorry kate but I've gotta be somewhere" he stressed looking at his watch and then waiting for her to respond.

"Please jack" she pleaded in a last attempt and at first all she could hear was a loud sigh being let out, then an incoherent mumbling and finally after what seemed like days for kate, he got back on the phone with her and said that they could meet at his place in thirty minutes, which should have given him enough time to clean up the mess of his life which happened to play a very pressing theme within his apartment at the moment.

So with her in agreement of his offer, he got around to cleaning his apartment and as he was about halfway into getting it done, there was a knock on the front door and upon looking at his watch, he thought that it would be a bit too soon for her to show up but he answered it anyway unsure as to who was on the other side.

In two strides he was at the front door and upon taking a deep breath in anticipation, he opened it to reveal the one and only….

"Locke?" jack said widening his eyes in shock.

"Hello jack, can I come in I was wondering if we could talk" the elderly bald man asked the wary doctor. Upon their departure from the island, they didn't really part on good terms but even since they were back in the real world, they had weirdly become the best of friends, mainly because they both wanted the same thing.

"Uh now's really not a good time John, but I'll give you a call a little later on" he said about to close his door upon the man but it seemed that what Locke had to say was quite pressing as put his hand on the door to stop him from closing it.

"Jack this is important, I found it" john said with a smile.

"You found it?" jack asked utterly clueless as to what he was going on about.

"The island jack, I found the island." john said his smile now growing wider but jack on the other hand felt unsure as to whether he was truly happy about this, especially now since things between him and kate might have been taking a step forward.

"That's great john" he simply said to a now confused and frowning john.

"Wow!! I thought you would have been more happy about this jack, I mean isn't this what you wanted." locke said utterly confused about his attitude towards the island.

"What can I say john, I just…..I don't think i wanna go back there now because everything I want in life is…"he was about to go on but he was suddenly met with a beautiful vision standing behind Locke at his doorstep. Even though it had been three years since they had been rescued from the island, she still looked as beautiful as the day he first saw her emerging from the clearing on the day they had crashed.

"Here" he simply said with a face cracking smile looking at her confused expression but Locke on the other hand knew exactly what he meant and he just politely excused himself from the two people, not before telling jack that he would be leaving tonight and that if he changed his mind then he could come along with him and with that the man left leaving jack to seriously think about his offer, but as he looked at the beautiful angel standing right in front of him, all thoughts literally went out of the window.

"Hey you okay?" kate said with a slight smile snapping jack out of his thoughts….of her once again.

"Yeah yeah I'm good wanna come in" jack asked stuttering like a little boy but kate thought it was utterly cute to see him behaving in this way. In response she just gave him one of her dazzling smiles and sub- consciously brushed past him and the slight contact of her body on his was enough to make him close his eyes and silently moan at how it use to feel, especially when they were making love.

"Wow memory lane huh" kate said as she walked in and observed the all familiar surroundings of his apartment.

"Yeah we really did have some good times here huh" jack said with a smile but his gaze was intently focused on hers and she knew exactly what he meant but as much as she wanted to just simply throw herself into his arms and hide away from the rest of the world, she knew that things between them were a lot more complicated than that. So she simply closed her eyes, counting to five in her head and once she was done she opened her eyes, ready to face the music.

"Look jack I came here because I wanted to help you through this, I wanna be here as your friend through this" she said with a hint of sadness making jack hang his head down in response because the last thing he needed was another friend, especially kate, because in his heart he truly believed that they were never just friends, it was an instant connection from the start.

For the next few minutes he simply kept his head hung trying to suppress the gathering tears that screamed to be let out but he couldn't let her see him in this way so he forced them back and focused his gaze upon her once again and simply nodded sadly in response and then muttered a whatever while walking off to pack the last of his things. _If she wanted to play it this way then fine_ he bitterly thought to himself.

Kate on the other hand was a little pissed by the way he was behaving and she decided to follow him to confront him about it. Without feeling any unease whatsoever she followed him into his bedroom and was suddenly met with the sight of his packed suitcase ready to go along with wherever he was going and she had a pretty good guess as to where he was going.

"Your going back there aren't you" she said grasping hold of his arm and forcing her to look at him and in response he just ripped his arm out of hers a little roughly than intended and went back to what he was doing while responding by saying….

"Well there's nothing keeping me here kate so what's it to you" he said hatefully.

"How the hell can you say something like that jack, you have people here that love you and care about you and your just willing to throw all of that away just to go back to some god forsaken island" she screamed at him, the tears of hurt and betrayal threatening at her eyes. In response jack just looked at her face, showing her through his tear filled eyes what he wanted to show, the anger, the hurt, the love, all in one single look and it suddenly became too overwhelming for her so she simply just leaned forward and sealed his lips with a surprising kiss that did catch him off guard at first but as her tongue probed at his lips begging for entrance, he immediately obliged by opening his mouth with a gaspful moan and then wrapping his arms around her, bringing her closer to him to feel all of her.

Things from there on had taken on a bit of a lustful tone as jack briefly broke away from her to remove the top she was wearing, then moaning at the fact that she wasn't wearing a bra underneath it, and in response kate just took hold of the sides of his plaid shirt and lifted it off him, not even caring about the buttons that popped off while this was happening and jack couldn't seem to care as well because all he could think about was her. Within seconds of that happening she was back in his arms again and he slowly inched them towards his bed and then pushed her slowly onto it while pushing his suitcase out of the way. Once he was on top of her, he pulled away once again and gazed at her green emerald eyes, getting lost in her beauty once again.

"Are you sure about this kate, because I don't want this, us, to just be about the sex" he stressed keeping a deep sense of focus on her eyes to make her understand that he was dead serious about what he was asking of her. He wanted the whole package with her.

For a few more minutes she just thought of what she actually wanted but as she briefly gazed into his brown and hopeful eyes, she saw everything she wanted within that single look and with that she simply grasped the sides of his face with her trembling hands and when she was inches away from his face, she whispered saying…..

"I've never been more surer of anything in my life. Ever since that night on the island, ever since the first time we made love, I've never stopped thinking about you. The biggest regret I made was walking away from this, from us. I love you jack." she said in one hurried breath, the tears continuously falling down the path of her golden brown skinned cheeks but as they fell, they were kissed away and gradually soothed by jack's lips. He literally couldn't believe what he was hearing but in his heart he couldn't be happier at the fact that she was finally requiting what he felt for her all this time and it was the best feeling in the world, so with that he looked into her eyes one more time and simply responded by saying those three words to her with the utmost emotion and then he lowered his lips to her waiting skin, gradually inching his way down right from her moaning lips to the most inner secrets of her desire that longed to be caressed and touched by him so he did just that and more.

He first nuzzled her clothed center and with one more reassuring look shared with her, he gently undid the buttons of her trousers and pulled them down, slowly uncovering a pair of black panties that he literally itched to rip off with his teeth but in the end he restrained himself and just took it off slowly and gently kissed the sensitive skin once it was uncovered, the tickling of his beard making kate smile and moan in response. He then moved lower, right to her crease and started to lubricate the outer rimming with his tongue and then without no warning whatsoever, he plunged himself inside her and the powerful sensation caused kate to literally arch herself off the bed and run her hands through his slightly overgrown hair, revelling of what he was doing to her and within minutes she already started to feel the beginnings of her release upon her and without no warning whatsoever to him or her she suddenly came hard and fast into his waiting and hungry mouth, him greedily lapping up her release and loving the feel and taste of it on his tongue. After he made sure she was done, he brought his mouth away from her center, not before placing one last kiss there and with that he moved to fully undress himself, receiving a lustrous moan of appreciation from her as he was doing so. Once he was done he simply hovered his revved up body above hers and before he made any form of contact, he gently lowered his face to hers, firstly nuzzling his nose against the side of her face lovingly and then he caught her lips while lowering himself onto and into her gradually, burying his now thickening and glistening length into her right up to the core, him feeling the all familiar sensation of her tight walls accommodating and caressing him in the way she only knew how.

"Oh god jack!! move! Move within me! Claim me. Make me yours again" she moaned grasping his head with the tips of her fingers and bringing him to lie even closer to her. In response he just grasped her tighter and thrust up deeper within her while whispering into her ear saying…

"You were always mine kate" he simply said and with that his thrusts started to get deeper and more forceful and in response kate started to arch more into him while searching for his lips to feel him in every way when she orgasmed, hopefully with him. To her utter ounce of good luck as his thrusts quickened, she started to feel him swell even further, which clearly suggested to her that he was close, so she started to stroke him all over and as her hands made contact with his face, he turned his face to the side and sucked one of her fingers into his mouth and oddly enough kate found the sight extremely arousing and with a few more thrusts they both came, spilling themselves into another, their bodies moulding together and their hearts beating as one, the sound of it soothing them into a deep and blissful sleep of promise and commitment.

**So there it is guys and next chapter jack finds out something and how will he react to it?? So what do you think guys?**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

**Hey guys it's me again and I come bringing the next update!! So without further interruption here it is and thank you guys so much for reading and reviewing this story, it truly means a lot.**

Enjoy

Her original plan was to come here and talk him out of leaving and then taking care of himself, but here she was nine hours later, in his bed and in his arms, him holding her closely to him. She really had no idea what came over her but a certain part of her couldn't keep on suppressing what they both felt so strongly for each other so in the latter end she gave up and gave into what her heart desired the most, those deep rich brown eyes that were staring right at her this very minute, showing her nothing but love and promise.

"Morning" jack smiled, leaning forward to brush her lips in a morning kiss which she gradually gave into once again, revelling in the feel of his lips on hers once again, although she couldn't seem to get use to the coarseness of his beard, the roughness creating a new sensation across her delicate skin, but she didn't want to ruin the moment in any way so she just continued on with deepening the kiss by slipping her tongue into his mouth and exploring every inch of it, making him moan and harden instantly in response to her actions and before she knew it, he had flipper her on top of him and into him on the way. His hardness pushing proudly and deeply into her, claiming her as his once again. In all the times they had made love, he always made the fist move and assumed control which she gladly relinquished, but now he was giving her control, he was waiting for her to move over him and the feeling caused a sudden chill of thrill and anticipation to run up and down her spine and with that she placed both her hands flat on his broad and well muscled pecs and started to slowly move over him while gazing intently into his lust filled eyes which kept on alternating from staring at her beautiful flushed face and then focusing on their intense joining which made him grow and harden even further within her.

The new sensation caused him to brush against her spot and in response she just moaned his name out loud and ran her hands through her hair while throwing her head back and closing her eyes to thrive in the sensation and in response jack suddenly sat up, wrapping his arms around her tightly and pushing his face in between her bashful breasts, gently licking and kissing the precious skin that laid there, his beard causing a slight tickling sensation on her skin, making her giggle contently in response. Although the light hearted moment suddenly vanished when jack raised his lust filled gaze to meet hers, and with that he just willed her to focus on him by cupping her cheek to bring her face closer to his and then to seal her lips with a sweet kiss while she moved over him now with more urgency and force, in an effort to make him feel what she was feeling slowly bubbling inside, deep within her.

Jack on the other hand started to feel the same fire burning within him and then it suddenly moved lower to where it would explode and release but as he tried to stop it from happening so soon, kate started to quicken her pace even further by literally moving up and down the entire length of him, right up to the now purple and swelling head of his cock and before she could make the next thrust and make him explode completely, he wordlessly flipped them over so he was on top of her again and as her body hit the bed with a bit of a forceful push from a slightly urgent jack, he braced himself over her with his arms set straight out on either side of her and the lower part of him buried right within her to the core, making her now feel how hard she was making him and with that he spent a few minutes to get himself under control and then he started to move within her again, while keeping his focus on her face and the way it gradually contorted blissfully when he started to quicken his pace once again within her, striving to make her come along with him, and she didn't disappoint in the slightest as the very next minute she suddenly arched off the bed, moving straight into his willing and loving embrace and with that she just let go off everything, giving herself completely to him and with that he made three more quick and forceful thrusts and spilled himself into her and while that was happening he caught her lips in and deep and sensual entanglement silently whispering those three words over and over against her lips and in response she just broke away from him and looked intensely into his eyes while saying those three words back to him with nothing but tears of relief and accomplishment in her eyes at the fact that she finally had the courage to confront her feelings and embrace them with the one person she wanted to share it with the most, and with that he caught her lips with his once again, sealing their commitment to each other once again along with their tears which never stopped falling until exhaustion suddenly took hold of them and forced them into a deep and blissful slumber, him spooning her from behind and her snuggling further into the warmth of his chest, feeling like home once again.

(Meanwhile)

She never came back home last night Sam noted and he was really getting worried at the fact that she wasn't even answering her mobile phone. This was the twentieth missed call he had made to her phone and all he got in response was the boring robotic like voice on the other end saying that the person wasn't available but to leave a message and with that he just clicked it off in annoyance. The previous night when she had called him to come over and watch over Sammy, she said that she was going over to an old friend's place and that was all she said, so all he could basically do now was to wait patiently and hope that she came back before Sammy woke up, _thankfully it was a Saturday_ he thought to himself and with that he attempted to busy himself with getting breakfast ready while sipping on his fourth cup of coffee.

The hearing of various sounds downstairs had slowly woken him up from his troubled sleep and the first thing he looked out for was kate, because she was always the one who woke him up every morning with a morning kiss on the cheek and a cuddle to go with it as well, but today all he got was silence and a room with no one else and with that the little three year old started to bawl his poor little heart out at the fact that he didn't know where his Mommy was and within minutes of his screeching breakdown, Sam bolted up the stairs and into little Sammy's room.

"Hey little man" Sam said sitting on the edge of the bed where the little boy lay curled up howling like anything so Sam simply pulled the little boy into his lap and gradually soothed the boy's tears away by embracing him and silently singing to him, hoping that it would lull him into a comforting sleep but the old man was sadly mistaken as the boy pulled away from him and asked him the question he had wanted to know since he woke up today.

"Where's Momma Grampa?" the little boy asked, his big brown eyes begging him for an answer.

"I don't know son but I'm sure she'll be back very soon. Promise." The old man said hoping that the little boy would accept it and drop it there and to his good luck sammy just got off his lap and curled up into his bed once again, drifting back into a wordless slumber once again. The older man just looked on with nothing but sadness in his heart and a part of him was angry as well, angry that she would just leave him here alone and not even call to find out if everything was okay, so with that he silently walked out of Sammy's room and went downstairs to try and demand an explanation off her.

(Back at Jack's apartment)

She awoke once again and as she turned around to look at jack's sleeping face, she was suddenly hit with a sudden sense of realisation, _oh my god Sammy,_ she said quietly to herself and with that she quietly slipped out of bed and from under his possessive embrace and once she was free, she slipped into the bathroom to quickly wash up and maybe leave a note for jack telling him that she would see him later. So with that she popped into the shower and while she was in there, jack was suddenly awoken from his blissful slumber by the sound of someone's phone going off and he knew it wasn't his as the ring tone was a Patsy Cline tune. So he quickly got out of bed while retrieving his boxers on the way and then looking for the phone which was literally buried under the heap of clothes which were abandoned yesterday in their heat of passion.

After spending a few more minutes of trying to dig through the pile, he caught hold of the small vibrating object and the first thing he was attracted to was noticing the picture displayed on the phone. It was a picture of kate holding a little boy in her arms, and the boy looked no more than two or three years old he surmised, but he was suddenly distracted out of his curious thoughts by the ringing once again and without hesitation he picked it up this time suddenly being met with a very stern voice on the other end, who didn't sound happy in the slightest.

"Hello sir!" jack said politely, really not wanting to anger this man in any way.

"Is Katie there?" the old man responded cutting right to the chase.

"Uh she's not available at the moment sir but can I take a message?" he asked softly and politely, briefly glancing at his closed bathroom door and surmising that she was in the shower.

"Well you can tell her that her son and her father are here worried sick about her, so could you possibly pass that on son!!" the man simply said his voice dripping with anger and sarcasm and in response jack just simply agreed and hung up without much argument because he couldn't seem to say anything else. _Kate had a son_ he thought to himself feeling nothing but shock run through his body , but then as the news started to sink in his mind drifted towards Sawyer. _Did they have a son together? is that who "him" was?_ he thought to himself and with that he was suddenly consumed with nothing but hurt and anger over being used once again. A part of him felt like banging that door down and demanding an explanation, but the other part of him, the one the refused to admit that she would never do something like this to him was telling him to wait until she was ready ,so in the end he decided to let the latter part win and with that he went into the kitchen to put a fresh pot of coffee on, that would be ready once she came out to talk, because he was very interested to know who exactly this little boy was.

A few minutes later she came out of the shower wearing his bathrobe which jack had to admit she looked pretty cute in, but his mind was suddenly drawn once again to the identity of the boy who was her son and with that he just sat at the counter in the kitchen waiting for her to come and sit down with him.

"Hey" she said coming over and leaning over the counter to brush her lips against his but he didn't seem to respond for some weird reason kate thought and she wondered just what that reason was.

"You okay?" she genuinely inquired while stroking his bearded cheek and in response he just told her that she had received a call. She immediately stiffened in fear after that and then moved to pick up her clothes from off the floor but jack was off his chair in seconds, walking up behind her and then pulling her to him in a comforting embrace that she suddenly felt she didn't deserve.

"Kate why didn't you tell me you had a son?" he asked forcing her to look at him by lifting her chin up with his finger. In response to his question she simply broke down and collapsed into his shoulder while silently apologising to him over and over again.

"Hey you got nothing to be sorry for okay. I pro…" he was whispering into her ear but kate suddenly pulled away from him and cut him off with what she had to say because now more than ever she felt that she needed to get it out once and for all.

"Yes I do have something to be sorry for jack because he's not just my son," she paused while briefly looking up at his expression and noting that it was filled with nothing but hope and anticipation and a slight bit of worry as well so she went on to hopefully ease it, "he's your son too."

**So there it is guys and I know that I said that jack would be meeting Sammy in this chapter but I didn't want to just throw it in right there, so for the next few chapters we will firstly see how jack reacts to having a son and then finally meeting him. Promise. So what do you think so far guys??**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

**Hey guys thanks so much for all the lovely reviews and I'll try as much as possible to make this a good jate fic, even with all the angst in it. Anyway without further interruption here it is and i hope you enjoy it.**

Enjoy

_Recap_

"_Yes I do have something to be sorry for jack because he's not just my son," she paused while briefly looking up at his expression and noting that it was filled with nothing but hope and anticipation and a slight bit of worry as well so she went on to hopefully ease it, "he's your son too."_

He felt like laughing and crying at the same time but all of a sudden he was consumed with the sudden urge to hit something, over what he had just been told, so in an effort to control his anger, he stepped out of the embrace he had engaged her in in the first place and with that he started pacing up and down the length of his bedroom, trying his hardest to let the news sink in, but it wasn't working because the obvious questions kept on playing in his head, so in an effort to wash away some of the anger, he just raised his fist and punched the wall opposite him making kate flinch in fear at not only the impact of his punch, but of the clear dent he had now made in the wall as well. She tried to make the move and explain to him but she stopped herself half way and just allowed him a few more minutes to calm down while she thought of a suitable explanation for keeping their son from him all this time.

She waited for a further agonizing ten minutes and just as she was about to respond, jack beat her to the chase and forced her to meet his pained gaze while simply asking her _"why?"._

She took a few more moments to get a hold of her emotions and then she slowly walked forward to where he was now sitting, defeated and broken on the edge of the bed; she got down on her knees and daringly took his hands into hers, which he fought within at first but she was determined to make him understand why she had done this.

"Jack when I left you after we got rescued, I felt so scared and lost without you. There were so many times I wished that I had gone with you and seen if things had turned out differently but I can't change what happened. I never even knew I was pregnant until I arrived in Los Angeles and even then to I just kept on telling myself that it was just a stomach bug that I had." she confessed while trying to control the immense pain she was feeling in her heart at having caused him so much pain with what she did. Though jack on the other hand seemed a tad bit confused at what she was exactly trying to say.

"Why were you so scared at the thought of being pregnant?" he simply asked her trying to ease his confusion and the hurt he was feeling as well. In response kate just hung her head for a few more seconds to try and choke back a sob and then she raised her pained gaze and answered him simply by saying…

"Because a part of me wanted to forget you, to move on with my life, because if I thought of you for even one second, the pain and realisation just came rushing back in waves. The pain of knowing that I could never have what my heart truly wanted, to be in your arms again, to be with you heart and soul, and it hurt so much jack, it hurt so much to know that I could never have that again, just because I thought at the time that I was still a wanted felon." she paused for a few more moments and then continued on, "although when I first found out for sure that I was in fact pregnant, I didn't feel sad or depressed jack, I felt comforted instead, at the fact that I still had a part of you with me and I vowed since that day onward that I would treasure this precious gift with my life." she said smiling through her tears but jack was still wanting to know why she didn't tell him about his son so he made a move to say something but kate just put her fingers on his lips and said that she wasn't finished yet.

"The day I found out that I was pregnant, the first thing I wanted to do was tell you because I was so happy at the fact that we could finally be together after all, but that all suddenly changed when Claire had called me a few minutes later to check in to see if was doing okay and when I had asked her about you, she told me about Juliet. So in an effort to not cause you any more pain and interruption in your life, I opted to keep little Samuel Jack Shepherd a secret." she said hanging her head in shame and then making the move to get up when he said nothing in return, but as she got up, jack stood up and grasped hold of her arm and asked her where she was going, in response she just knitted her eyebrows in confusion and seriously wondered why he wasn't mad with her in the way she expected him to be and as if sensing her surprise and confusion, he sat her back down on the bed and pulled her with him, forcing her to sit in his lap, which she squirmed within at first but jack however gained a firmer hold on her and asked her to simply look at him.

"Kate look at me" jack said more firmly inching his face forward while using his index finger to lift her chin up and then wipe the endless tears off her beautiful face. When he was done with the surprising and tender gesture, he brought her even closer to him and whispered to her saying…

"Kate our last night on the island, was literally the best night of my life. Nothing that I've ever experienced in my life even comes close to what we shared in that one single night. " he confessed making kate let out a sob in response of knowing that, that night meant as to much to him as it did to her.

"After you left I felt so hurt and dead inside and I just didn't wanna feel that way anymore so I tried my best to drown my sorrows by just going into the nearest bar and mindlessly drinking until I could barely walk home, but it didn't help kate, it just made the pain more worse, physically and emotionally. So then I tried the next best thing which was to bury myself in my work and... that's where I met Juliet. She was there because of her sister and from there on we had become good friends and then surprisingly it became more" he paused suddenly when kate just hung her head once again to not let him see the tears that had gathered once again, but jack just gave her a comforting squeeze and then gently stroked her face in return while whispering to her and assuring her that he had never stopped thinking about her the whole time. About what he constantly wishe for them to be and with that she had gained some comfort and confidence to hear what he had to say next.

"We were together for a few months and as the time went on I knew that my heart wasn't in it for the long run because I still couldn't stop thinking about you, so the following morning I came out with it in the midst of yet another argument we had been having and with that she left me and walked out my life leaving me broken and defeated, but a part of me was slightly relieved at coming clean because I knew that if I stayed with her, I would have ended up living a life of wonder and regret and I would have never even gotten the chance to meet and know my son, our son." jack said giving her a slight smile that made her heart melt with the warmth of his precious words of acknowledgement.

"I can't say that I'm completely fine with the fact that you never told me about Sammy all this time, but that's all in the past now and I wanna try and live in the present, with you and our son" he confessed making kate just let out a sigh of relief and in response she just threw her arms around his neck, while crying and laughing at the same time, not believing that this was actually happening but the fact that he was embracing her just as tightly as she was him, assured her that this moment had finally come, after thinking about it constantly for the past three years.

After a few more minutes of staying in their loving embrace, jack pulled away much to kate's disappointment, but he just gave her one of his dazzling smiles and with that he went on with what he wanted to say.

"As much as I do want to jump into this kate and pretend that none of this happened …it did" he paused for a minute while trying to convince her and soothe her that it wasn't what she was thinking and when she was convinced, he went on.

"I just wanna take this one day at a time kate. I definitely want to be with you, but I want get a chance to know my son as well, starting with knowing more about the little guy. So……why don't you tell me about him?" jack asked her with a curious smile.

"Well as you know his full name is Samuel Jack Shepherd, he was born on the 14th of June at exactly 4.00am in the morning. He has brown eyes and brown hair, and he is you in every single way, right down from the way he walks to the way he pouts when he doesn't get his way." she said with a smile making jack let out a laugh at the last part. She then got off his lap and walked to the pile of clothes on the floor and retrieved her purse where she carried around a picture of Sammy.

"My god he's…"jack managed to get out while looking at the picture of Sammy, his son, _wow_ he said to himself, _I have a son_. He still couldn't seem to believe that he was looking at the picture of his own son but the longer he looked at the picture, the more he felt like he knew him already, even without meeting him.

While he continued on with looking at the picture in awe and amazement, kate had now come back dressed in one of his shirts and then she sat next to him on the bed, laying her head on his shoulder while also admiring the culmination of their love and passion and knowing that from this moment on that this wasn't the end for them, it was just the beginning.

**Hey guys so there it is, Jack's reaction. Hope it's what you guys wanted and from now on we will definitely start to see a lighter side to this story. Promise. Anyway please review and let me know what you think??**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

**Hey guys I come bringing a much happier and lighter update, well for most of it, but I hope you guys like it. Once again thank you so much for all the lovely and enthusiastic reviews and I will try my best to make this a good story guys. Thanks and here it is. **

Enjoy

The rest of the day had gone off well with both people knowing more about each other than they anticipated they would, especially jack who couldn't wait to meet the newest addition in his life, the person that had miraculously changed his life for the better and now he couldn't wait to meet him. After he saw the picture of his three year old son, it was literally like looking into a mirror when he was his age. Judging by the miniscule amount of pictures his parents had kept and cherished of him.

After that he couldn't wait to see him, hold him and never let go but in the end he had to control himself and take note of what he had told kate earlier, which was to take this one day at a time, so with that he agreed to give it a few days until it was time to finally meet the little guy and to his surprise kate willingly agreed as well with a smile and a deep and passionate kiss to confirm and reassure him in some ways that everything would be fine.

That was over a week ago and now he stood in his shabby apartment looking at his now clean and shaven appearance in the mirror, and going over everything he was going to say and do in his head. Over the past few days he had been trying to get his life in order, firstly by staying off the addictions he had been relying on for the last few months to get him off and make him forget all about the pain that had subsided in his now warming heart. Then he went through the whole natural process of wondering whether Sammy would like him in the first place, but once he looked at the picture kate had given him, all of his insecurity and uncertainty started to wash away completely and all that was left was a smile, a proud and happy smile, something he hadn't done in a long while.

He had also been curious to find out what sammy liked as well, in terms of his hobbies and stuff. In response kate had one word for him, baseball. She told him that, that was what he lived and breathed and then she went on to tell him how sammy used to pretend that their front garden was baseball diamond and how he organised games every weekend with his Grandad who in turn had already taken him to a few games as well. At first he was a bit saddened upon hearing that because he should have been the one to do that but as soon as those thoughts passed through his mind, he pushed them away and instead thought about the future and what he could do with his son from now on, so in an effort to keep the moment in a happy atmosphere he simply smiled broadly in response while saying "that's my boy, just like his daddy", getting nostalgic of his days in high school when he used to play on the team himself.

So now he just stood in front of the mirror taking a last look at the new him while making sure that the baseball set he had bought his son was all ready and gift wrapped and when he was finally done and ready he checked his clock like he had kept on checking since he had woken up today and to his good luck he was still a few hours early and with that there was a knock on his front door.

At first he was a little surprised at who might be showing up, but he surmised with a smile that it was the one and only, the person who gave him a good enough reason to exist and something to live for. Although his smile soon disappeared and turned into one of sadness and worry upon noticing who was standing at his doorstep instead.

"Sarah? What are you doing here and how did you know where I live?" he inquired knitting his eyebrows in genuine confusion upon her being here. _Why was she here?_ He asked himself while glancing at the slightly nervous blonde who he once cherished and loved with all his heart, only to have it stomped on and broken in the worst way possible.

"I have my ways jack" she said with a teasing smile that just earned her a serious and emotionless glance in return and with that she went on to explain about how the time when he was in the hospital and how she had literally begged the doctors to inform her of his present living situation because she still felt for him as a good friend, but ever since he came back she somehow wished for it to be more again, especially since Danny, her ex - fiancee was not in the picture anymore, leaving her with nothing but his unborn child which he didn't even know about in the first place, not because she didn't want to but because he left her before she knew that she was in fact pregnant with their child.

"Oh! so…" Jack started and then stopped, uncertain of what to say next because what exactly was left to say to her. They were both different people now, a lot had changed in the last few years, he had changed as well.

"So can I come in jack or is it bad time?" she asked with a hint of annoyance behind her voice at being treated in this way but after the sudden realisation of how she had so abruptly ending their marriage, what else was she expecting, him to take her in his arms and forgive her right away. _No _she simply thought to herself, _first I have to gain his trust again, then everything would fall into place once again_ she thought with nothing but hope in her heart and as she sub- consciously brushed past him while passing him through the door, she got the all familiar chills running up and down her spine. An all familiar feeling she got every time she was with him, back in the days when they were together and happily married.

Once she entered his apartment and had a good first glance around at everything, she decided to turn around and explain why she was really here in the first place but as she made the move to start, they were both suddenly interrupted by jack's phone going off and once he took a look at the screen and saw who it was, he smiled and excused himself and went into his bedroom, shutting the door completely and leaving her on her own in his living room.

"Hey!" jack said cheerfully into the phone knowing very well who was on the other end.

"Hey!" kate simply replied in the same way when she managed to stop laughing at his cheerfulness.

"So I just wanted to find out whether your still okay with…just hold on a minute" kate started to say and was then cut off by another voice in the background, a voice that jack seem to have recognised as none other than….

"Sammy I'm on the phone with someone, I'll be there in a minute sweetie" kate shouted out to the voice and jack couldn't help but smile at how natural she sounded, _motherhood definitely suited her_ he thought to himself with nothing but wonder and amazement of her. After a few more minutes she managed to calm sammy down who was so hyped up all the time that she barely had any time for herself.

"Hey, sorry about that it's just that you son keeps me on my toes at all times of the day. I think I've actually lost a few pounds with the amount of time I've spent running after him making sure he doesn't get hurt or anything. " she said making jack laugh out loud in response.

"Aww!! I'm sorry honey" jack said suddenly realising what had just slipped out of his mouth without even thinking and judging by the sudden silence on the other end, he immediately felt like kicking himself for possibly ruining things now, but as he made the move to try and explain why he said it, she came back on the line saying….

"You've never called me that before!" she said trying to keep a hold on the butterflies that were ferociously fluttering within her stomach.

"Yeah I.. I.. don't know why…I should…I'm sorry. I know I said that we should be taking this one day at a time. I don't know what came over me I.." he tried to explain but was once again cut off by kate who just said that it was okay and that he shouldn't sorry because she never was, not when it came to them.

"Anyway I just wanted to call and find out if your still okay with meeting sammy today jack, because if you need more time then it's perfectly understandable if you.." kate tried to get out but this time she was cut off by jack saying that he had been waiting for this more than ever, ever since he found out, and that he couldn't wait to start his new life, starting with meeting their son and with that she felt a lot better about it because honestly she just wanted jack with her and Sammy, because that's where he truly belonged.

"Okay so I'll pick you up in about half an hour or so?" kate asked and jack just said it was fine in response, not even realising that sarah was still here.

"Okay so I'll see you then and……I love you" kate said finally getting out what she had wanted to say ever since she got on the phone with him. In response jack suddenly felt his eyes moisten with raw emotion at hearing those beautiful words and all he could say at that moment was..

"I love you too" he simply said although his heart kept on coaxing him to literally scream it to her over and over again in a firm effort to make her believe that he loved her and no other, but for now all he could say was that and to kate it was more than enough for her to think that maybe they just might get the happy ending they so longed for after all. So with that she got off the phone with him, not before saying those three words to him one more time and making him chuckle and make his heart swell with emotion as well, but as this was happening, the other person who was sitting on the other side of the door felt nothing but regret and pain in her heart.

_How the hell could she tell him? What would he think of her? Would he even forgive her for doing it? _She thought to herself and upon sudden realisation she came up with the conclusion that she simply couldn't do this, not now, so with that she quickly got up and wordlessly left without even leaving a note, mainly because there were literally no words to explain what she had done.

As he got off the phone, he suddenly remembered about sarah as well and with that he bolted out of the door to try and talk to her but all he saw in return was an empty room and his front door being slammed as well. His first instinct was to run out and follow her but if he did, then he would bring back the painful memories of his past back to him and he longed to let go of it and embrace his new and more promising future, so with that in mind he anxiously waited for the next half hour, constantly checking the clock to see the change in time and when it was about two minutes to when the big hand hit 6, he was rewarded with a knock on his front door, suggesting to him that it was time, so with that he walked towards his front door taking long strides in the process to get there quicker and once he opened the door, he was met with the sight of an angel. The first thing he wanted to do was take her into his arms and kiss her senseless, but in the end he managed to restrain himself again and instead opted to give her a hug which she gladly accepted without any hesitation whatsoever, but as their bodies made contact with each other, their inner carnal desires started to bubble to the surface once again. The desire to just give into what their hearts were screaming to satisfy and when kate sub- consciously grinded into his pelvis area, he groaned out loud into her ear, his pressured breathing igniting the fire within her and with that she just grasped the back of his head and pulled him closer to her, literally forcing him to bury his face in her neck, loving the sensation of his day old stubble brushing against her smooth and luscious skin lovingly. In response to her possessive grasp, he simply pulled her even tighter against him, allowing her to feel what she was doing to him and making her simply moan at feeling his now swelling and hardened length probing at the source of her inner and moistening desire that longed to be quenched by him.

Although in the end they both managed to calm themselves down, suddenly realising that they were outside within viewing access of the public eye and as much as jack just wanted to rip her clothes off, pick her up and bury himself inside her, he knew that, that might come off to be a tad bit uncomfortable and unsuitable so he just controlled himself yet again opted to peck her on the lips instead, eliciting a gaspful laugh in response from her when they broke away.

"You shaved" she noted stroking his lightly stubbled jaw, feeling touched and happy that he had done it but a part of her missed his beard and the many things it did to her when they were intimate with each other, especially when he went down on her. The thought was enough to make her blush and feel very warm all off a sudden.

"You okay?" jack asked concerned at her sudden change in character and posture. In response she just closed her eyes and counted to five hoping that she could keep her emotions in order and also try to keep her hands off him for now. When she reached five she opened her eyes and focused on the reason she was here and with that she wordlessly took his hand and led him to her car, ready to take him to his new life.

The whole journey on the way there was spent in complete silence only with the exception of a few smiles being shared between the two of them and upon following kate's gaze to the house that now stood in front of them, he took a deep breath and braced himself for what was to come. Upon first glance it was so quaint and quiet, but as they got out of the car they were both welcomed with the sound of a child, a child that they had created together.

"Common" kate simply said taking hold of his hand without any fear or hesitance and with that she pulled him to the front door of the place she had called home for the last three years. Once she opened the door though she was immediately and forcefully embraced by someone who jack couldn't believe he was seeing with his own eyes from where he stood.

"Momma" sammy squealed cheerfully tightly embracing his very surprised mother who just laughed at his sudden outburst of affection, while jack on the other hand couldn't move or say anything except admire the scene in front of him, not believing in the slightest that this was finally happening. That he was standing within a few feet of his own flesh and blood.

A few minutes later they were also joined by another older person who jack assumed was kate's…

"Hi dad" kate said with sammy still in her arms while her hand was still grasping the hand of the man sammy was now looking at with nothing but genuine curiosity. She noted now that Sam was also looking at jack with the same look of curiosity and felt that it was about time for introductions.

"Daddy this is Jack" kate simply said introducing the older man to the slightly nervous younger man who was still wary and a little scared at his appearance, but to his good luck the older man shook his hand and gave him a nod and a smile to show his acceptance of him.

"And sammy…." she paused momentarily while turning around to fully face jack who was standing there gazing at the little boy in her arms. "this is your…"she paused again while trying to get a hold of the tears that had gathered in her green emerald eyes and before she had a chance to finish her sentence, sammy spoke up and decided to satisfy his curiosity and fill the hope that had formed in his heart upon seeing this man and somehow feeling connected to him.

"Is he my daddy?" the little boy asked in all innocence, his big brown eyes widening making his mother simply break down and nod in an agreeing manner while she allowed the tears that had gathered to fall freely and upon looking at jack now, she noticed that he too was crying but he also had that slight look of fear behind his emotional gaze. Afraid that sammy would hate him right away, for not being there for him all this time, but he was proved wrong the next minute when sammy suddenly squirmed quickly out of his mother's arms and lunged himself at jack's now open arms, wrapping his little arms around his father's neck and with that jack simply buried his face in his son's neck and let go completely, of all the the sadness, the happiness and the longing for this moment, right here, right now.

**Hey guys so there it is! So what do you think guys, wanna see more??**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

**Hey guys I'm back with a lighter update, for the time being which should see some Shepherd bonding happening, so without further interruption here it is and thank you so much guys for the lovely reviews, because they truly motivate me to write more, so thanks ;)**

Enjoy

For the major part of his life, he lived a life of disappointment and sadness. His parents never acknowledging him or approving of any of the decisions he had made in life, but being here at this very moment and holding his very own son, he knew that he was getting a second chance to make sure he wouldn't follow in his father's footsteps. He would be there for his son no matter what, even if it was just to tend to a little headache. He knew he would do it because he loved him that much already.

"Daddy?" sammy suddenly asked, his voice muffled and hard to hear because he still had his face buried against the collar of his father's shirt, but jack heard him right away and pulled away to give him his full attention, still not being able to get over the fact that he was staring at the face of his very own three year old son.

"Daddy are you gonna stay with me and Momma now?" the little boy asked with nothing but innocence and in return jack just smiled at him and then pulled him forward to place a kiss on his forehead while saying……

"We'll see son, we'll see" he said and then looked towards a teary kate, giving her the same smile and a nod to reassure her that they wouldn't be alone from this point on, they would have him now. However the two adults were suddenly interrupted by the elderly man in the room who still stood shocked and baffled as to what was happening, and with that he sudel got the urge to verbally satisfy his newfound curiosity upon suddenly seeing this man claiming to be his grandson's daddy.

When Sam had first found out that kate was pregnant with sammy, the first question he had asked her was the identity of the Father and in response she just went silent at first and then broke down completely in front of him, and from that moment onwards he had decided to drop the subject, not wanting to cause any unnecessary stress for the duration of her sudden pregnancy.

So now three years later he was finally standing in front of the very man who had captured his daughter's heart all this time and as much as he wanted to organise an interrogation session with jack, he looked at the scene of the family in front of him again, and with that he knew that he couldn't have the heart to ruin something so great and perfect. He knew his grandson sammy pretty well and he also knew that the little guy wasn't very friendly and social with others, and the fact that he wordlessly jumped into this man's arms straight away without any form of hesitance, clearly suggested that maybe, just maybe he should give this a chance. So with that he made his decision and walked forward to firstly kiss his daughter on the cheek and then repeat the same sentiment with his grandson who was now tucked safely between his parents, looking upon the man with nothing but fear and uncertainty, but soon it turned to that of relief and gratitude when he surprisingly patted jack on the back, and then gave him the look as to say "take care of them or else" and with that he was off , leaving the remaining people in the room to go into a moment of awkward silence, that was until sammy decided to break it.

"Momma can I show daddy my room?" he turned to kate giving her his best rehearsed puppy dog look and in return she gave in right away with a nod, just like she would with jack and with that the three year old dragged the now smiling man off towards the direction of his room.

On his way up there, he took the moment to take in the appearance of the place, and as he was pulled up the stairs by his more than enthusiastic son, he was momentarily stopped by a sight that made his heart skip a beat. The first picture he was met with was a 9 month pregnant kate he surmised, folding up the laundry while sticking her tongue to the side in a sub-conscious effort to show her focus on what she was doing at the moment. He immediately smiled at the cuteness of it and suddenly remembered her doing the same thing back on the island when he used to be a more than amused audience member when she helped him gut the fish that jin had caught.

The next photo was of kate in a bed holding a little blue bundle in her arms, and her smiling knowingly and warmly at the precious gift in her arms, and it suddenly made him wish that he was there to witness that moment, but again he reminded himself to live in the now, so with that he continued on forward, being pulled once more by his son.

As he moved further upstairs, he was met with each picture documenting his son's life, right down from his first tooth, to his first word which was "yes" judging by the inscription at the bottom mentioning it. He smiled right away at it because like his mother, he knew he would have a hard time saying "no" as well.

"Daddy come on, we're almost there" sammy stressed while literally pulling his dad along with all his little strength could muster at the moment and in response jack let out a little laugh, seeing so much of his mother's determination in him.

"He will pull you all the way you know, he a strong little soldier" kate said startling jack but then making him smile at her presence and of what she had just told him.

"Just like his mommy" he smiled at her saying, right before he was pulled nearly off balance, being given a taste of little Sammy's strength and once he was out of sight, kate doubled up in laughter at what she had just witnessed.

It weirdly looked a lot like the room he had had when he was a boy, and he could definitely tell as well that kate wasn't wrong when she told him that his son was a massive baseball fan, judging now by the posters of players on his wall, the print on his duvet mattress and even the little stack of baseball cards that were tucked to the side of his little bedside table.

"Do you like baseball daddy?" the little boy inquired tugging on his father's jeans. In response jack smiled down at him and then sat down on his little bed while pulling sammy into his lap.

"As a matter of fact son, I do. I used to play on my team when I was a little boy" he revealed and in response sammy jumped anxiously in his lap while clapping his hands in excitement and when he calmed down, he asked him a question.

"What position did you play?" sammy asked and in response jack just knitted his eyebrows in thought, making a little face in the process that sammy just found extremely hilarious, but he managed to control his giggles in the end and listened intently to what jack was going to say.

"I used to play third base" he replied and in response the boy widened his eyes in genuine amazement and then went on to tell him how he always wanted to play in short stop and how he always wished he was in the player's spot when his grandad took him to baseball games.

"Well you definitely have the strength to be one" jack simply said, genuinely amazed at the little guy's strength, but he surmised in the end that it was all his mommy. _Speaking of which where was she?_ He wondered and suddenly upon instinct he raised his gaze and saw her now standing in the doorway to Sammy's bedroom with nothing but a smile on her face, the same smile that managed to drive him crazy every time he caught sight of it. A part of him contemplated on taking her against that doorway right there and then, but soon realisation kicked in at the absurdity of that thought, so he finally calmed himself down while signalling for kate to finally join them.

At first she attempted to argue, but she couldn't get past the little puppy dog eyes jack and sammy were now giving her and in the end she gave in right away again, and with that they spent the rest of the day with sammy telling jack about his favourite baseball team and what his favourite foods were and much to jack's amusement, he also managed to find his son's ticklish spots almost accidentally at first, but upon knowing that little piece of him, he decided to have a little fun with it, along with kate who gladly joined in the fun and by the end of that, jack, kate and sammy were now lying lazily on the bed, clearly pooped out, especially sammy who was slowly starting to doze off.

"Right then little man let's get you changed and then you can say goodnight to daddy?" kate instructed to the little boy who whined at first and then looked to his dad for some back up, but all jack did was shrug his shoulders and simply agree with what his mom instructed of him, and with that the little guy reluctantly gave in, but as he made the move to go with kate to go get changed, he turned back to jack and asked him the same question he had asked him earlier on today.

"Are you going to stay with us from now on daddy?" sammy asked him with a pleading expression and all jack could do in response was firstly hang his head and then look to kate for some sort of acknowledgment, and to his good luck she slowly bent down to the little boy's level and whispered something in his ear and judging by the little boy's now excited expression, it was definitely something he wanted to hear. So with that he was off to go and get changed with his mom in tow, leaving jack to wait in anticipation of what was going to happen from here on.

Ten minutes later she was back with sammy who was now wearing his baseball patterned pyjamas. The very sight of it made jack smile warmly in response and when the boy walked forward to wish him goodnight, jack simply pulled him into his arms, embracing him tightly at first and then positioning his mouth next to his ear to tell him something..

"I have a present for you" jack whispered making the boy's heart suddenly race with excitement at the very mention of the word. Following that jack pulled away from the boy and walked to the side of his room, retrieving the gift wrapped cylindrical like object that the boy literally couldn't wait to open and when he looked at his dad for approval, jack nodded and with that sammy went to work with completely ripping the wrapping up in record time, and once the present was fully uncovered, he just started jumping up and down and immediately asked jack if he would play with him right now, and in response jack just let out a chuckle and was about to respond, when kate chipped in and lowered herself to his level while simply saying ….

"Maybe tomorrow sammy, I think you've tired daddy out for one day" she said, smiling at him while chuckling slightly at the last part, and with that the boy agreed excitedly and kissed both his parents on the cheek, wishing them goodnight.

When kate and jack had left Sammy's room, he immediately announced that he would see her tomorrow and then made the move to leave almost immediately, but he was suddenly stopped by kate grasping his arm, intent on getting his attention with what she wanted to get out at the moment.

"What's wrong?" jack inquired softly, his eyes showing nothing but concern.

"Just hear me out okay." she said, wanting and hoping that would agree to what she was about to propose.

"I know you said that we should take things one day at a time, but…." she paused while trying to get her nerves under control, and in response jack just simply walked forward and brushed the sides of her shoulders in soothing circles to ease her tension, but with each caress, he was making her loose her concentration even more, however in the end she managed to get her emotions under control and with that she continued on with what she wanted to say.

"What I'm trying to say jack is why don't you just stay with us. " she proposed and at first jack just widened his eyes in shock and disbelief at what she was saying. And kate picked up on this right away and continued on in a hurried fashion.

"Wow I'm seriously coming at this all the wrong way. What I'm trying to get at is that it would definitely be more covenient if you just moved in with us. I mean I've got a spare guest bedroom and I don't know, I guess I like having both my boys with me." she said with a smile that made him chuckle warmly in response.

"Are you sure about this kate?" he asked with all seriousness while still resting his hands on the sides of her shoulders, sending the all familiar shivers down her spine.

"I am. As you've seen today, sammy is just crazy about you and I lo.." she stopped herself, suddenly reminding herself of what jack had asked of her. "We would love having you around here" she said, nervous that he would politely turn her down as a result, but she was rather surprised when he nodded in an agreeing manner to her proposal and with that she threw her arms around him and hugged him tight to her almost out of instinct, again forgetting that they were taking this one day at a time.

Jack however just melted into her embrace, never having felt something so wonderful and right, suddenly remebering how similar it felt to when she was grasping him in the same way as he brought her to the peak of her bliss, and for a moment he felt like giving in completely, wanting so desperately to share and experience that feeling and sensation with her again, but in the end he mentally scolded himself and forced himself to see this through , because he knew and believed that they would come out better in the end as a result of this. So with that he reluctantly pulled away from her and then waited nervously to be shown to the guest bedroom, which just happened to be right next door to hers. When she had finished showing him everything in there, she then talked to him about getting his stuff from his old apartment, possibly tomorrow morning and with that she verbally wished him goodnight, not before he suddenly grasped hold of her arm, willing for her to look at him and when she did, he simply leaned forward to peck her lingeringly on the cheek, to give her a proper goodnight and with that she wordlessly left his room, smiling and blushing like a fool.

**Hey guys there it is and don't worry cause jex will ensue very soon, I mean how long can they live under one roof and maintain the will to resist each other as well. Hehe. So what do you think guys??**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

**Hey guys I come bringing the next update which shall start to see how long jack and kate can keep their hands off each other. Hehe. Once again thanks guys for the lovely reviews and without further interruption here it is and I hope you'll like it.**

Enjoy

The following day after jack had agreed to move in with kate and sammy, they had stuck to their initial plan of immediately going over to jack's apartment first thing to collect his stuff. Of course sammy wanted to come as well and after a solid fifteen minutes of non stop begging and a little puppy dog look to go with it, kate gave in, in the end and let the little guy tag along with them. So with that they managed to sneak in a quick breakfast and then made the long journey over to jack's apartment.

"So how does it feel?" kate suddenly asked startling jack out of his thoughts.

"Huh, oh well it's a big change." jack replied making kate knit her eyebrows in confusion in response, _was he having second thoughts? _she immediately wondered. However jack sensed this uncertainty present on her beautiful features right away and decided to ease some of it because he truly had no regrets about doing this, he wanted to be with the people he loved, so with that in mind he went onto explain by simply grasping hold of her free hand and saying……

"It's a good change, there's no place I'd rather be" jack revealed while giving her one of his heart melting smiles that managed to just make everything okay again and with that sense of affirmation now present in her heart, she continued to drive on towards his house with an eased mind, although that ease was soon interrupted by little sammy who had a very important question to ask.

"Momma, Daddy are we there yet? I need to go pee pee." the little guy asked making both parents chuckle at the cuteness of his statement and lucky for him they were now just a few blocks away from jack's apartment.

Five minutes later they were now parked right in front of his place, and with that jack got out quickly to allow sammy out because he could see that the little guy really needed to go, judging by the fact that his little face looked as red as a tomato and once the boy was free, he immediately ran up to jack's front door, literally itching to be let in and crossing his little legs to try and keep it up.

To his good luck he didn't have to wait long because jack was back within seconds with kate now in tow and once the front door was opened, sammy sprinted upstairs without even giving jack a chance to let him know where the toilet was.

The action made jack chuckle right away and with that he turned around to now see kate offering him the same smile that soon turned into something more intense and serious by just sharing one simple gaze with each other. So many thoughts were going through his head right now and each one tended to branch towards a very inappropriate theme and now judging by the dark and lustful gaze present within kate's green emerald eyes, he knew her thoughts lingered along those lines as well, and in some ways it gave him some comfort in knowing that he wasn't the only one who was longing, longing to relish in the feel of her creamy, luxurious skin against his and her beautiful long legs wrapped tightly around his sweat covered and rapidly thrusting waist while he was loving her fully and wholly. The very thought was enough to make him hum with pleasure and it wasn't just his heart that was reacting to the occasion, because his pants had become a lot tighter all of a sudden as well. So to somehow ease the aching, he abruptly turned away from her and declared that he was gonna pack up his stuff and with that he sprinted on upstairs while slightly massaging himself to ease the growing bulge which looked more than embarrassing.

Kate on the other hand just stood there frozen not only in shock of his lustful gaze on her, but of the same longing she shared as well. It was the same longing that she experienced last night in bed. She knew that it was silly to feel that way, being that she had slept without him for the last few weeks, but knowing that he was in the very next room made that longing exist within her again, and it wasn't just that longing to be in his arms again, but that longing to make love to him and never stop, despite their reluctant and mutual agreement to take things slow or _one day at a time _as he so put it.

So now she stood here, feeling that same longing again and as she allowed her gaze to travel around the expanse of his apartment, she was suddenly reminded of the moments they had shared here. Whether it be slow and sensual or hard and fast, she had remembered every single second of it and she knew that she wouldn't trade it for anything in the world, because being with him, just for those moments meant the world to her. Although her thoughts soon changed when she suddenly caught sight of something situated at the entrance of his front door, and at first she just briefly passed it off as some random piece of trash, but in the end her curiosity got the better of her and with that she picked up the piece of paper to now read the brief words that were now written on it.

_Jack I ... I just really need to see you again!!_

_Please just give me a call on this number 555 - 081521_

_Sarah xx_

She had no idea what to think of at that point because all she could feel was the hurt and betrayal at the fact that he was still seeing Sarah all this time. The same Sarah he had told her about back when they were still stranded on the island. _So were they back together now? Is that the reason he wanted to take things slow? _She immediately thought to herself with nothing but fear and dread now present in her heart and the very next minute she was suddenly pulled out of her thoughts by jack calling out for her from upstairs in quite a carefree manner and at first she found that she couldn't move because she was too consumed by confusion, and soon she was joined by the very man who was now checking to see if she was okay.

"Kate what's wrong?" jack immediately asked, being alerted right away to her sudden distraction and judging by her features now, he could tell that it wasn't good in the slightest. His worry soon grew when he got no response from her in return and with that he attempted to inch himself closer to her and find out once and for all, but he was surprised and slightly hurt when she moved further back while crumbling something tight within her left hand, and then simply declaring that she was gonna check on sammy and with that she wordlessly left him alone to wonder just what had happened. Following that the rest of the time was spent in complete silence, well except for sammy of course who had a never ending list of questions to ask his dad, but to jack's keen observation kate had managed to stay silent and serious throughout, making his worry grow considerably in response and whenever he had attempted to even ask her what was wrong, she just frantically nodded in a negative gesture and then proceeded to avoid him as much as possible for the rest of the time. So with that he distracted himself with engaging and interacting with sammy while silently telling himself that he would find out what was wrong no matter what it took.

2 Hours later and he was all packed and ready to go and with that kate and even little sammy helped him carry his stuff out into the two cars that now stood at the side of the pavement. When they were done jack and kate had mutually agreed that all this stuff wouldn't fit in just her car, so he said that he would put some stuff into his jeep and with that she wordlessly agreed by nodding and then walked off, leaving him alone again to suddenly be reminded of the drastic change in her.

When they carried the last of his stuff into his car, he saw it as his last chance to ask her what was going on because he was seriously going insane with this whole silent treatment she was initiating with him now. However the moment he made the move to grasp hold of her arm and ask her what was going on, sammy had come up to ask jack something.

"Daddy can I ride with you cause I've never been in a jweep before. Please, please daddy" sammy pleaded with his father and out of instinct jack looked to kate for confirmation on the little guy's request.

"He's your son too jack" she simply replied with a hint of coldness present within her tone and with that she bent down to Sammy's level and nodded in an agreeing manner which was followed by little sammy throwing his little arms around her neck in a hug of gratitude for the approval of his request, and once that happened, she stood up and briefly looked at jack again and when she got nothing but a confused and curious expression from him, she just hung her head and wordlessly walked off towards the direction of her car.

When they had finally arrived at her apartment, they had wordlessly retrieved his stuff out from the cars, Sammy's voice being the only thing that now filled the silence of the air and as much as jack was happy that sammy was more than okay with this, he wanted kate to be okay with this as well, or was this silence due to the fact that maybe she was regretting this after all, but _why would she suddenly be regretting this? _He wondered as he walked through the front door of her house carrying the last of his stuff in with nothing but uncertainty and curiosity now present within his heart.

**Hey guys there it is and I know that this chapter wasn't as happy or as long as the previous one but I wanted to start to introduce the other character who will play a little part in this story, and unfortunately in jack and kate's lives as well. Sarah is hiding something big and we will find out what it is very soon, so if you guys wanna know what happens next, you know what little button to press. Hehe. Thanks ;)**

**P.S. Jex will soon be upon us, I promise you that ;)**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

**Hey guys I'm back with the next update which should see a little more jangst but it will dissipate fairly soon. So without further interruption here it is and once again thanks guys so much for the lovely reviews, I truly love seeing my inbox full of them. **

**P.S. Sorry for the delay guys!!**

Enjoy

The silence was starting to become unbearable for him. It had been five hours since she had said less than a word to him and with each minute that passed, she seemed to avoid him and even avoid talking to him as much as possible. _This can't go on any longer,_ he said to himself as he briefly had the chance to gaze at her now working on preparing dinner in the kitchen, while keeping a watchful eye on Sammy who was busy playing in the front lawn. _Here goes, _he said to himself and with that he took a deep breath and walked over to her, hoping that she wouldn't shut him out, just like she had been doing as of late, well to be more specific, ever since they left his house.

"So what's for dinner?" Jack uttered with a teasing smile trying to keep the mood light, but much to his bad luck she just muttered something incoherent under her breath and with that she turned around and made the move to avoid him yet again, but this time he was prepared and trapped her against the counter with his hands, prohibiting her from moving another inch.

"What's going on Kate?" Jack simply asked while attempting to lean his face forward so that he could look deep into her eyes and see what was troubling her so much.

"What do you mean Jack?" she answered back in an almost ridiculous manner to try and mask any sign of botheration she now felt when he was around.

"C'mon Kate you know what I mean. Ever since we left my apartment you've barely looked at me, let alone talked to me." Jack revealed to the person opposite him who just hung her head in response the entire time to try and push away the tears that were screaming to be let out at the memory of what she had unfortunately found.

"Kate, Katie please just tell me wha…" Jack tried pleading off her one more time, but he was suddenly cut off by a distressed Sammy now coming back into the house, adorning a nasty and deep cut on the side of his head. Within seconds both parents were at his side trying to tend to their son and do their best to stop the small trickle of blood which ran across the side of the little boy's head, a more than terrifying image for any person to see, although much to Jack's amazement the little guy wasn't crying at all, except he continued to look on at his parents doting on him and going into a frenzy over what had happened not so long ago.

"Jack can you get me that towel?" Kate asked a stunned Jack while pointing to the towel which was lying on the end of the kitchen table.

"Jack" Kate uttered, her voice louder and full of determination so that she could get his attention right away and to her good luck he suddenly snapped out of it and acted on her instructions immediately, the doctor in him finally starting to kick in finally.

He couldn't seem to explain what came over him, but as he saw the blood dripping from his precious and only son, he couldn't help but freeze completely and think of the worst, just like any parent would he thought, but what he had just experienced transcended anything else he had ever experienced in his entire life. Although in some ways it also showed him what was already developing within him. The strong paternal instinct and concern a father should share with their child, something which he had never had the chance to experience with his own father, but hopefully that could all change and he could make up for it by doing it for Sammy, so with that he switched into doctor mode and took control of the situation before it was too late.

Fifteen minutes later and little Sammy was all patched up and put to bed with the help of a mild sedative Jack had assured Kate was safe enough for the little guy to have, and that in some ways it would help ease the pain a little more as well and after the fourth time of assuring her that it was okay, she finally relented and then plumped herself at the edge of the little boy's bed thinking of what happened today and what could have dreadfully happened as a result of it. The very thought was enough to spring tears to her eyes and lucky for her Jack was there for her to lean on in her obvious time of need. Whether they were on talking terms or not, what happened today was enough to make them forgot all about the thing they were avoiding , or more so the thing Kate was dreading to ask because if it just so happened to be true then she would have no idea what to think, let alone feel.

"Hey you okay?" Jack asked her quietly while planting himself next to her on Sammy's bed. All she did in response was break down completely at that point. The pent up emotions of the last few days spewing out uncontrollably to the point where it actually brought tears to Jack's eyes as well. So all he simply did from there on was pull her into his arms and rock her slightly just like he would a child and they stayed that way for the next few minutes while gazing at the picture of their peaceful and sleeping son, thankfully.

"Feeling better?" Jack softly asked the petite brunette in his arms and much to his amusement all he got in return was light snoring not coming from his son, but from a now sleeping Kate in his arms who he now noticed looked so stressed out, emotionally and physically and he still longed to know why but not now, now he had to take care of his family and think of their needs, so with that he stood up with Kate tucked safely within his arms and with one kiss placed on the top of her head, he walked towards the direction of her bedroom, not before taking one last look at his sleeping son, making sure that he was still there.

A few seconds later and he was in her room, firstly taking a good look around at the attire, and a smile adorned his face right away at the photo kept on the bedside table. The photo they had managed to take back when they were on the rescue boat, right before she walked out of his life and turned him into a living wreck as a result. At that very moment his mind went back to the very memory of that day and it was enough to make the pain of loosing her come back to him in waves, but as he now looked at the very angel in his arms, he couldn't help but feel comforted at the fact that she was here, now in his arms and if he had his way, it would be like that forever.

"God I love you so much" He whispered to her sleeping face, admiring every single inch of her now. Although once she started stirring slightly he snapped out of it and continued on towards her bed to allow her to get some much needed rest. However as he attempted to lay her down and slowly disentangle himself from her, she refused to do so, instead she just sub consciously tied her arms tighter around his neck, to the point where she suddenly caught him off guard and sent him flying on top of her. Luckily he was able to manoeuvre his fall at the last minute, which now left him lying at the side of her on the bed.

"Mmmm" Kate suddenly uttered while turning her sleeping face in his direction and then allowing one of her hands to travel along the entire expanse of Jack's tense and frozen body. He had no idea what to do at this point because he didn't know what else she would do if he did choose to reciprocate in any way. So for the next few minutes he just allowed her hand to travel freely along his willing and slightly aroused body, and the heat now radiating all around his body was turned up slightly when she suddenly decided to plant her hand on his now bulging crotch, making the bulge grow with each grasp and stroke she was now initiating on him.

All he could do in return was bite his lip to try and suppress the moans which were literally itching to come out as her caresses became more quicker and urgent, getting him to the point where he couldn't think about anything else, other than what she was doing to him and what she was bringing him dangerously close to.

"Oh yes, oh yes" she now kept on mumbling, slowly adding fuel to the fire, or more so fuel to the fire which was slowly beginning to erupt from within him. He couldn't believe that she was doing this in her sleep and as much as he wanted to pull away, it had been so long since he had, had this kind of intimate contact with her. Of being able to touch her and caress her in the way she did him, so with that he allowed his primal instincts to take control, starting by pushing himself closer to her and cupping one of her breasts with his now trembling hand and moaning breathlessly as she continued to stroke his entire length through the pyjamas he was wearing at the moment.

"Oh fuck Kate" Jack gasped before he buried his face into her neck, not being able to take what she was doing to him anymore. However much to his bad luck, she started to stir as a result and once she opened her eyes and took in the scene in front of her, she pulled her hands up to try and push him off her, but the more she did it, the more he pushed himself into her, in some ways to make a point that he didn't want to stop and a part of her didn't want to as well because she too missed it, the closeness, the sex. So from that point onwards she allowed him to further his ministrations, to the extent where they were both fully nude and he was now hovering over her, trying to gaze into the eyes he had fallen in love with, but all she could give him in return was a brief look and with that she hung her head again, waiting for the release they were both striving for, and much to her surprise Jack then stilled his movements, forcing her to now look into his eyes, while trying to blink back the tears of once again being reminded of his obvious sense of regret towards investing himself into this relationship.

"What's wrong Kate? Please just tell me what it is baby and I'll fi…" he managed to get out before Kate just forcefully pushed him off her so that she could retrieve the one element she felt hurt and bothered by.

"This is what's wrong Jack." she silently hissed at him while throwing the small piece of paper in his now stunned face and with that she just retrieved her robe and walked out of the room, leaving him alone with a piece of paper now in his hand. The piece of paper which was the cause of the sudden change in her and their relationship.

**Hey guys there it is and sorry I had to do this, but I promise that this will all work out in the end. Anyhoo so what do you think guys??**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

**Hey guys!! again sorry I had to do that in the last chapter, so to make it up to you here's the next one, enjoy. Thanks once again guys for all the lovely reviews and please keep them comin ;)**

Enjoy

This was the third time that she had gone to his place and seen it in the exact same position. Every window in darkness and a few empty boxes lying outside, which only meant one thing to her, that she was too late and now she would never get the chance to tell him what her heart dreaded to for all these years. _He has to know,_ the blonde said to herself and on the second time of repeating that very statement, she secretly vowed that from there on she was not gonna give up, not now, not ever. So with that she got back into her car and drove off on her mission. A mission to find the one man whom she still loved dearly, till this day.

(Meanwhile)

He had been staring at the note for a few minutes now and with each minute that passed, his mind became more puzzled with what Sarah could have wanted now and why she was so desperate to see him. The time he had seen her in the hospital, she had made it pretty clear to him that they were just friends and nothing more, and the fact that she was pregnant as well with the baby of the man she had left him for, made him also want to be a friend to her and nothing more, _but what could she want now?_ He thought to himself. _What could she want that would be so important to even wreck his relationship with Kate, oh my God Kate,_ he suddenly realised and with that he put on his jeans and threw the note into the bin, immediately disregarding anything that was said in there, because he had more important things to take care of at he moment, starting with the beautiful brunette who was downstairs probably crying her eyes out _due to a distinct misunderstanding she had surmised of him, _he sadly thought as he walked downstairs to now find her curled up on the couch, her thick brown luscious curls now covering her devastated and tear streaked face.

"Kate" Jack spoke to her softly as he crouched down in front of her huddled form. All he got in response was the continuing sound of her sobbing, breaking his heart in return just that little bit more, to the point where he was so overcome with emotion himself that he just leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her, trying his hardest to keep her within his embrace at first, knowingly expecting a fight from her , but as he attached his lips lingeringly to the side of her head, she gradually managed to calm down and become a victim to the soothing kisses he was now slowly initiating all over her face while rocking her slightly in his arms, praying that she would give him a chance here, because loosing her again would completely push him over the edge and now with knowing that he had a son as well, made it all the more crucial for him to make this right.

So for the next few minutes he just continued to rock her from side to side in his arms, until he was sure that her cries subsided and then he decided that he would straighten this out with her once and for all because this was the one thing he didn't want present within their relationship, doubt. Sure they had both made many mistakes in their lives, some they wished they could have taken back but now, now he waned them to look forward to a new start, a new beginning, him Kate and their precious son Sammy. So with that he slowly and gradually pulled away from her, but still kept her wrapped in his arms so that he could finally talk to her about it and not be shut out by her in any way.

"Talk to me Kate" he simply asked of her while she tried to push the tears she was tired of shedding once again, but she couldn't seem to control the pain in her breaking heart to even form a thought, let alone a sentence, but the determination and the anger in her was also rising to the surface and it was that very feeling that allowed her to come up with a response.

"Is that why you wanted to take things slow?" she straight away asked him, her gaze now wild with fury but only to mask the immense pain that lingered behind it.

"What are yo.." Jack managed to get out before she cut him off again, this time by completely pulling away from him and acting on her anger.

"Is Sarah the reason you wanted to take things slow?" she hissed at him in a demanding but not so loud manner knowing that Sammy was still asleep upstairs.

"Do you really think I'm capable of doing something like that to you, to Sammy" Jack replied while trying to also push back his tears of hurt at being accused of something he would never even dream of doing, especially with someone as precious as the brunette now standing in front of him, hands on her hips and her face now full of anger, anger over her assumptions of his apparent infidelity.

"Do you?" Jack asked again while walking over to her so that he could look her straight in the eye and get the true answer he was searching for. However in response she just hung her head and allowed for her brave façade to fall, just like it always did when she was around him.

"Do you?" he asked yet again for the third time while slowly wrapping his arms around her once again and nearing his face even close to hers so that he could try and get an answer out of her, and also to make her understand that he would never think of doing anything like this to her. Although the response he now got in return was enough to make his heart completely shatter.

"I don't know" she repeatedly whispered over and over again until he just snapped himself and her out of this so that they could come to some sort of resolution and move on from this better and stronger.

"Kate, Katie look at me" Jack asked off her while also grasping hold of the sides of her shoulders so that he could get her attention once and for all, and much to his good luck she eventually did, now staring straight into his eyes in the same way he was doing with her.

"I've made many decisions in my life Kate and nearly all of them were decided and acted upon the very spur of the moment, something I thought would work at the time, and back then I thought that it was the right thing to do, but every single one of those decisions ended in nothing but regret and pain, including my marriage to Sarah" he confessed painfully and paused while checking to see if she was okay and when she just continued to look at him he continued on with the main reason he was doing this.

"I don't want that to be us Kate. I don't wanna regret ever having been with you, or for loving you, right from the very first day you stumbled upon that clearing on the beach and appeared like an angel in my life. I love you Kate, and that's the reason I wanted to do this, because I love you so much that it truly scares the hell out of me sometimes, but I know that for once in my life I've made a decision that's been the best one I have ever made, and that's you Kate. You and Sammy. You guys are my everything." he revealed and before she could get another word out, he leaned forward and captured her lips while also wrapping his arms around her fully, forcing her resolve to break down in return, giving into the sensation feeling he always managed to ignite within her.

As the minutes passed by, they continued to stay locked within their passionate entanglement, but as Jack's hands crept lower and lower upon the silky material which now covered her revving body, she wanted more and didn't want to waste anymore time. So with that she managed to pull away from his lips, only to plant them on the roughness of the stubble which lined itself along the entire expanse of his neck, stretching to the places she longed to touch, lick and feel right now, and much to her good luck there was nothing stopping her from doing just that, so she inched her way down along his chest, repeatedly kissing the spot where his heart was now beating rapidly at what she was doing to him and as she briefly looked up into his eyes, she saw all she needed to see. The man she loved, the man she trusted, the father of her son, and it was enough to convince her to succumb to the feeling of his arms now pulling her up so that he could love her properly without any regrets whatsoever. So with that he pulled her up into his strong and muscular arms and then carried her over to the nearest surface, not being able to wait any longer because he just had to prove to her and show her that he wanted this, that he wanted to love her in the way she deserved.

Luckily the couch in the living room was wide enough for both of them, he decided upon noticing it out of the corner of his eye while trying to control himself from what she was doing to him at the moment. He slowly crouched and lowered her onto the sofa and then anxiously waited for her to undo the belt on her silk robe, his expression like a kid at Christmas getting their favourite toy and to him Kate was that and more. She was his favourite everything, and once the robe was off her and completely out of his path, he hovered over her, resting his weight on one hand while sneaking the other to undo his jeans so that they could come together, but she beat him to the chase and firstly teased him by dragging the tips of her fingers along the expanse of his bulging crotch, slowly and gradually until she reached the area where he longed to be freed, judging by the lustful look he was giving her at the moment. Almost as if he was going to attack her like a predator would do it's prey and before she could do anything further, he leaned down and literally stole her breath away with the kiss he planted on her at that very moment. A kiss full of love and promise and with that shown, he started to thrust himself over her, while her fingers still lingered on the belt loops of his jeans, which were slowly coming off on their own accord due to his thrusts against her, getting more urgent and demanding, a clear signal to her that he was longing for this just as much as she was, and with that she helped him out further, firstly with wrapping her small arms firmly around his waist and then sneaking her hands to the back, grasping hold of his buttocks and then pushing his jeans off him completely, his hardness popping out finally and already making direct contact with her ready and poised center, and she didn't have to wait long as the next instinctual thrust he made, sent him right into her, both of them moaning out loud, right before they attached their lips to each other once again, simply not being able to get enough of what was being shared through the connection they were blissfully engaged in at the moment.

"You see Kate." Jack gasped out while now thrusting fully and deeply within her, making her simply nod in agreement with him over rekindling the feeling she had always managed to experience with him, especially when he was in her like this, strectching her and loving her with each thrust.

"You see how much you mean to me. How hard and insatiable you make me when I'm with you." He continued to speak while picking up the pace in his thrusting. Trying to keep it to a steady speed so that he could make it last for both of them, that was until the pleasure simply became too much for him to sustain.

All Kate could do in response from here on was nod and agree with him, because even though she felt it, she couldn't find the will to say it as she was too lost in her passion for him to even think about anything or anyone else, except the man above her who was loving her with all he had and by looking straight into those deep brown orbs she always managed to melt within, she knew that he would continue to do so until death parted them. So all she could do now in return was put a sense of trust within that love and commitment and not let any sense of doubt creep back in again, and she felt that a good place to start would be to confirm and reassure herself about what she felt for him.

"I love you" she whispered to him while closing her eyes so that she wouldn't set herself up for any disappointment in return and as if sensing it, he eased her fears by simply leaning forward and engaging her in a full blown passionate kiss while thrusting himself faster within her, him wanting to commemorate this intricate moment from now and until the end of time and with that physically expressed they both came, screaming and gasping into each other's mouths while verbally confirming the love they had always shared for each other.

**So what do you think guys?? **


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

**Hey guys I'm back and with a happier filled update, well for now anyway. So without further interruption here it is guys and thanks so much for the lovely reviews ;)**

Enjoy

A new day had arrived and the sunlight now shining through the windows of the apartment was a clear, but annoying sign that it indeed was. At first she thought about just sleeping in, but with way she was at the moment, with Jack's naked body sprawled out over her equally naked form as well. She felt that this scene might be a tad inappropriate for their son's eyes. So with that she shook the man on top of her, embracing her, gently, hoping to God that he would wake up before their son did, but all he did in response was tighten his arms around her while placing slow kisses along the expanse of her neck, forcing her to do nothing but smile at his obvious affection towards her. However she still kept in mind that they had to get up sometime.

"Jack." she half whined and half moaned as he growled in response into her neck, sending chills reverberating through her.

"We have to get up before…" she started off, but was stopped short by the announcement of another voice now coming from the bottom of the stairs.

"Momma. What are you and Daddy doing?" Sammy inquired and before he took the time to investigate, he saw a big form flying off the couch, taking something else with them along the way.

"Um nothing sweetie. Say, why don't you go play for a little while, while Momma and Daddy get ready." Kate uttered while staying wrapped up tight in the same blanket Jack was now in as well.

"Kay." Sammy simply replied and then scurried off towards the direction of the kitchen leaving a relieved Jack and Kate still hiding behind the sofa.

"That was close." Kate expressed in all relief while turning her face to meet an amused Jack staring at her with nothing but awe and love.

"Morning sweetheart." Jack uttered right before he attached his lips to hers in a rough, but passionate morning kiss, making her completely forget about everything else, other than the feel of his soft tongue now caressing hers in a loving fashion. It was almost enough to make her succumb once again to what they were previously engaged in, but at the last minute she gathered enough will and strength to pull away, eliciting a frustrated moan at the abruptness, but he too realized the reason behind it and with one last kiss shared between the two, they had parted their ways. Jack heading up to take a shower while Kate went to tend to their son's needs.

On the way there she couldn't help but not wipe the silly smile off her freckled face. Yesterday by this and they were still not talking but now, now everything had taken such a drastic change and it was definitely for the better she thought while drowning out any form of doubt within her.

"Momma can you open this?" Sammy inquired, snapping her out of her reverie.

"Pop tarts at this hour of the morning, sweetie they're really not good for your…" Kate started off, but was interrupted and tricked by the well rehearsed puppy dog look he had always put on when he wanted something, even pop tarts.

"Pwease Momma!!" he begged off her and after asking him whether he had brushed his teeth, she finally gave in and opened the box for him, making the boy offer her a smile of gratitude in return.

A few minutes later and Sammy was finished and now watching cartoons in the next room while Kate was preparing breakfast for her and Jack. As she gazed out at the beautiful scenery through her window, she couldn't help but truly bask in it's pleasance for once. Back on the island she would do it for hours on end while sinking, thinking about her life and what she would become as a result of it. However till this day she still couldn't believe that things had turned out the way they did. She was free, a mother and she and Jack were…" she thought but stopped halfway because now she didn't know what they were. _Were they an official couple now? Would marriage bells be ringing soon for her? _All these thoughts kept on circling in her head, but the one thing that reigned out loud and clear to her was what had happened last night, specifically between her and Jack and what was exchanged during their moment of passion.

"Mmmmm" Jack moaned while he now buried his lightly stubbled face into her neck and wrapped his arms around her in a tight and slightly possessive embrace, one that she had no problem sinking into right away.

"So what do you wanna do today?" Kate asked and in response he just sunk further into her, showing her that all he wanted to do right now and probably until the end of time was to stay here with her, her wrapped up in his arms.

"Apart from you, right now, I can't think of anything else." he murmured into her neck and all he got in response was a light chuckle and a swat on the arm as well, making him smile even further.

"So is that what you say to all the women?" Kate teasingly inquired as she slowly turned in his embrace to finally gaze into his sparkling brown eyes.

His response to that was a firm and long kiss planted upon her seemingly waiting lips. Lips that were more than ready in complying with whatever he had to offer at that very moment. However the tender and loving entanglement was soon broken apart by the faint snickering and eewww which came from their three year old son, who then went on to making swishing noises with his mouth while his tiny hands tried to rein act their previous entanglement.

All the two adults could do in response was smile warmly at their pride and joy, that was until Jack surprised the little guy by letting out a low growl and then chasing him around the living room while Kate took it upon herself to resume with preparing breakfast in the mean time.

Ten minutes later and they were all sat in the living room. Jack cuddling Kate closely in his arms while Sammy sat below them on the floor watching his cartoons.

"So what's gonna happen now Jack?" Kate inquired while looking at him straight in the eye.

"What do you mean?" Jack asked, a little confused and slightly taken back by the sharpness of her question.

"Us Jack. What happens with our lives from now on I mean…" she started off, but was stopped by Jack who seemed somewhat concerned and determined to respond through his gaze.

"Kate where is this all coming from. Are you regretting last night?" he frightfully asked of her, simply not being able to push the creep of fear away.

"Of course not Jack. It's just that I'm not good at this relationship thing. I've always been so used to running from things, but now…." she paused for a few moments to get a hold of emotions and with a reassuring squeeze initiated from Jack's hand, she suddenly found the courage to continue and now spill her heart out completely.

"Now everything's changing even more, and I don't know if I can handle all of it!" she painfully admitted and then finally gave way to her tears, only to be pulled closer into the arms and soothed by a man who cared for her more than his own life.

"It's gonna be okay honey. I know that your scared of making this step, but I can assure that I'll be there for you and Sammy from now on. Your not alone in this anymore." he uttered before he slowly sealed his lips with hers once again. In another sense, reassuring her that he meant what he said and that he would stick by her, through thick and thin.

"Sorry, I…" she spoke once they pulled apart and she was stopped once again by Jack who slowly touched her lips with his while saying….

"You have nothing to be sorry for. I mean it Kate, from now on it's just you, me and Sammy. No one else." Jack firmly admitted with a more than convincing expression to go along with it, and in response the brunette nodded along with him, wanting every fibre of her being to believe that maybe they could have the happy ending they had been longing to strive for all this time.

"So what else is on the agenda today other than me?" Kate inquired, trying to lighten the mood a bit.

"Well I was gonna go down to the Hospital and see if I can get my job back." he admitted and almost immediately he caught a look of dread flash by Kate's gaze and he knew the cause of it right away.

"Don't worry I'll have my hours shortened, especially since I have something more than satisfying to come home to now." he admitted with a smirk while allowing his hands to roam the expanse of her body, making her silently moan in response to his ministrations.

"Want me to come with you?" she asked in all seriousness, but that expression soon turned into an amused one when Jack shared a warm and loving smile with her while saying….

"It's okay baby I'll be there and back before you know it." he replied while grabbing hold of both her hands and then bringing it up to his mouth to kiss with reassurance and the smile elicited from her in response was enough to ease and wash away any doubt that she might not feel okay with him doing this.

"Okay, but come home soon because I'm gonna have a nice surprise waiting for you when you get back." she revealed, giving him a teasing smile and raising her eyebrows as well, making him immediately mirror that very expression in return.

"Really now. Care to give me a few hints Mrs. Shepherd?" he teased and accidentally managed to slip up with the referral of the new title as well.

"Wha…" was all Kate could utter as the teasing smile she previously had turned into that of shock when she watched Jack now turn himself completely in her direction on the sofa while taking her left hand in his as well.

"Jack please I …." Kate tried getting out but it seemed Jack seemed determined to get this out now.

"Baby I know your scared about being in a relationship, let alone taking this kind of step towards it, but there isn't a part of me that thinks this is not meant to be. It is Kate and I don't wanna see it any other way. I know it might sound a tad selfish Kate, but I just can't stand to not have you as mine and mine completely." he confessed and before he could continue, Kate tried to chip in again with a response, but again he just placed his index finger upon her lips and then went on with what he had to say.

"So I'm asking you now Kate, I know I don't have a ring to offer you just yet, but I'm still asking you. Kate Austen, love of my life, Mother of my beautiful son, will you marry me?" he nervously asked while frantically searching for an answer within her gaze. An answer which would hopefully be the one his heart wanted. So he continued to wait.

**There it is guys, hehe. Worry not, cause you will get an answer in the next chap and maybe something else as well. Anyway so what do you guys think so far ?? More reviews means a faster update guys :)**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

**Hey guys as promised here's the next update posted not as soon as I had originally estimated, but none the less here it is now and I hope you guys will like it. Once again a big big thank you to everyone who reviewed. They are what fuels the chu chu to my art ;)**

Enjoy

He must have been on his knees staring at her for what seemed like decades before he sensed that she was gonna say something, judging by the slight change in her expression, but what still worried him a tad bit was the fact that she still had tears frantically running down her face. Tears he surmised rooted more from sadness other than that of happiness. The happiness he still longed to shower her with in return. Never the less he pushed those thoughts aside for the time being and continued to stay positive and hopeful that she was finally ready to make this step with him and their future, along with their lovely son and with whatever came along the way.

"Jack I…." she started speaking once she was emotionally composed enough to do so, but she was forced to stop once again by a distinct knocking on the front door. Her immediate response to the sound was to look back at Jack while knitting her eyebrows in confusion and when he mirrored her expression in return, she then took it upon herself to satisfy her curiosity in finding out just who would be paying them a visit. I mean the only person other Jack who knew she lived here was Claire

As she inched herself closer towards the area of the now insistent knocking, she was suddenly washed over with a slight feeling of familiarity, like she already knew the person on the other side of the door, and the very next minute all their suspicions were confirmed when a deep southern voice was added to the knocking. Within minutes of that Kate rushed to the front door and opened it in lightening speed to only be met with the one and only…..

"Sawyer what are you doing here?" Kate immediately inquired off him while still standing in the doorway.

"Well it's nice to see you too freckles. So what now I don't get a hug or a kiss or any…." he started off with a dimple smile, a trait Kate knew all too well when he would try hitting on her back on the island, but the smile soon faded when Kate was soon joined by serious looking Jack who just faintly nodded at the man while muttering a "sawyer" and with that he put his arm around the brunette, a clear enough suggestion for the southerner to know his boundaries with her.

"So uh…what brings you to this neck of the woods?" Kate inquired while trying her best to ease the current tension within the atmosphere.

"Well I'd love to talk about it on your front porch darlin, but I think it would be better to discuss the reason I'm here inside." Sawyer offered while trying to avoid the Doctor's watchful gaze on each action he made with the brunette standing beside him.

"Sure, sure c'mon in." the brunette immediately offered while stepping aside to let the man through, giving Jack little chance to argue in any way.

"Wow nice dig you got here freckles. You've really done well for…" the southerner stated as he allowed his gaze to travel along the entirety of the apartment. Starting at the living room and then moving to the small figure now standing at it's entrance looking extremely weary of this man's sudden appearance. However that's not what stopped the man from speaking. What stopped him was the green eyes staring right back at him, the same green eyes that had truly captivated the depths of his soul, and all he could do was become a victim to them once again. However the staring didn't really bode well with the boy in response, and with that he ran off towards the direction of sure safety.

"Hey buddy!" Jack managed to get out before the boy literally lunged himself into the recess of his father's arms, his small body shaking in fear the whole time.

"Hey, hey it's gonna be okay. You wanna tell Daddy what got you so scared?" Jack softly asked of the little boy in his arms, while still rocking him back and forth in a lulling manner.

"Whose that strange man?" Sammy inquired while burying his face further into Jack's neck, welcoming the comforting warmth which lingered within the area.

"He's just a friend baby. It's okay he's not gonna hurt us, I promise." Kate offered as she took the boy's right hand and kissed the inside of it, making him smile in return while saying….

"Stop Momma that tickles" he half whined with a smile on his face as Kate continued to place a series of little kisses travelling from his little palm and then all the way up to his arm, making him squeal in laughter in response and all Jack could do was smile at the heart warming sight in front of him, but once again it soon dissipated with the appearance of the one man who was the solitary cause of it.

"Wow check out this picture!!" Sawyer exclaimed while leaning against the doorway to gaze at the happy scene in front of him.

"Sammy why don't you go upstairs and me and Daddy will be up in a few minutes." Kate offered the little boy, but Jack however took it upon himself to excuse himself as well and then go along with Sammy, not before sharing one last kiss with the slightly shocked brunette now frozen in her position. With that done he shared a long look with the southerner and nodded once again while offering him a slight smile this time, a gesture that managed to shock the Southerner a tad bit, but a part of him felt quite touched at the fact that the Doctor was starting to finally trust and regard him as a friend, even though it may not have started off in that manner, but they had all grown emotionally since their time on the island.

"It's okay Jack I can tak…" she tried expressing in a hurried fashion but she was stopped short by Jack's lips pressing against hers once again in an effort to not only shut her up, but also to prove to her that he was starting to feel okay with this, knowing and trusting the two people in front of him, particularly the brunette who was kissing him. Once he pulled away he gave her a wink and flashed her a smile while still trying to hide the slight shred of disappointment at the fact that he never got the chance to hear her answer to his question. _Maybe another time,_ he thought to himself as he walked up the stairs with Sammy clinging tightly onto him like a monkey.

"So would you like something to drink or maybe something to eat." she offered once she pulled her gaze away from the stairwell to then stare at the man in front of her.

"Nah I'm alright sweet cheeks, just thought of visiting some old friends." the blonde man offered as he followed her into the next room so that they could be more comfortable.

"Wow are you feeling alright Sawyer cause I don't think I've ever heard you say the words visiting and friends in the same sentence." she teased while glancing at his reaction through the corner of her eye.

"Oh your really fuckin funny aren…" he started off in an equally teasing tone, but it soon turned serious when Kate faced him with a sharp gaze. One that you would expect from a Mother when she suspects that her child has done something bad, like swearing for example.

"Sorry Momma" he replied in his best attempt at a childish voice and that alone was enough to make her give up the serious face and erupt into a fit of giggles.

"Well your forgiven. For the time being that is." she replied while raising her eyebrows and making the man opposite her smile in a surprisingly shy manner.

"So what's Momma freckles been up to then?" he asked as she went about cleaning around the kitchen. _A sight which made her look so natural and motherly,_ Sawyer thought as he watched her busily working.

"Well not much apart from Sammy and…" she spoke out and was about to continue when they were graced with the very name she was about to mention.

"Am I interrupting something?" Jack asked as he slowly walked towards the direction of the hot pot of Coffee, briefly kissing Kate along the way.

"Not much just catching up." Kate replied but somehow she still noticed the weariness within Jack's gaze as he inched himself closer to her direction so that he could get to the pot of coffee.

"So what have you been up to since the island?" Jack inquired before Kate had the time to interrupt him.

"Well just had to finish a few deals with some of my contacts and then I….I called Mamacita up on the number she gave me and now I'm here." he confessed while trying to cover up some things along the way. Some things he was not ready to reveal just yet, especially when he briefly gazed at the brunette standing alongside the Doc looking more beautiful than he would have ever guessed in all the years he had known her.

"Okay so I'm gonna head up for a shower. Play nice boys." Kate said while she walked past both of them, not before kissing Jack in a reassuring manner. Once she was out of view Jack resumed with asking the same question once again.

"So why are you really here Sawyer?" he asked while sharing a sharp gaze with the southerner.

"Woah easy there Doc I know what you must be thinking, but I ain't here to steal your girl away from ya. I just wanted to see how she was doing, okay cause I was worried about her." the blonde man stressed in all seriousness and as much as Jack saw the sincerity in his concern, he also couldn't help but wonder whether this was all a play to get what he wanted.

"Whatever. So is there anything you need or…" Jack tried in his best attempts to control his jealousy while offering the Southerner some help just like a normal friend would for another in a time of obvious need.

"Nah forget about it I'll just find a Hotel or something" Sawyer replied while turning around and making his way to the front door, but surprisingly enough he was stopped by a voice announcing itself from behind him saying….

"You can stay with us!!" Kate announced, rushing down the rest of the stairs in just her bathrobe but that wasn't the thing that shocked Jack the most. What shocked him was the fact that there was no hesitance in her tone whatsoever when she made her offer.

"It's okay Freckles, I wouldn't want to intrude and all I ju…" he started off but was stopped by Kate insisting to agree with her offer and on the fifth try he finally relented much to Jack's annoyance who just stood against the counter gripping it's edge tightly with his right hand while the other tightened around the coffee cup he was holding, not even taking note of the fact that the hotness of the surface was now burning his skin.

(Later on in the day)

It had been fairly quiet around the apartment after Sawyer had moved in with them, and was currently residing in the spare guest bedroom, which Jack used to live in previously and that seemed to annoy him even more. At the fact that she never even bothered to ask him if it was okay with him, but again he decided to just let it pass. Taking extreme consolation in the fact that he would now be sleeping with Kate in her bedroom. It was the only thing that kept him from putting a knife through the man who was still trying to obviously make a play for the woman he loved without a doubt. However he also thought that if he tried to do anything stupid like physically acting on his jealousy, then he might just loose everything in return, including Sammy. So with that in mind he played it cool and tolerated it, for the time being.

Now he just sat in Kate's bedroom, sitting on the massive King bed and stroking the sides of his temples in an obvious attempt to relieve the headache he had gotten as a result of the obvious and sudden change in their life.

"Hey, you okay?" Kate inquired as she walked through the entrance of the bedroom, closing the door so that they could have some kind of privacy, despite their newest house guest.

"Yeah I'm good, I just need to get some rest that's all." he replied while trying to avoid eye contact with her the whole time. That was until Kate positioned herself inches away from his face to get his attention once and for all.

"It doesn't change anything Jack." she simply said while stroking the side of his face in a lovingly fashion.

"Oh so you don't want to…" he started off but was cut off by her fingers silencing his lips.

"Sawyer, Jack. Nothing is going to change between us now that he is here." she stated in a determined and confident manner and it was enough for him to believe it in return. However the other question still kept lingering within his mind, and almost as if sensing it through his gaze she decided to prove it in the best way by sealing her lips with his, while pushing most of her body weight into him, making him moan in complete appreciation in return.

"I want us to be together Jack, I really do, but I don't think I'm emotionally ready to handle marriage right now. Please Jack I'm just not ready. I know you probably hate me right now but I…" she stressed in a broken voice while trying to push back the tears of her more than apparent pain over the subject.

"Hey, hey. I could never hate you Kate. I love you too much to even think of hating you." Jack replied and finally confessed what he was finally feeling all this time.

"Oh Jack." she gasped out before she attacked his lips with a wild fervor, one he had no problem matching as he pulled her closer so that he could feel even more of her against him. Leading her to now end up on his lap, his head resting against the headboard while hers worked on the other parts of him. Starting at his neck and then moving lower and lower, removing anything that came in the way of her hungry mouth. However once she made the move to lean forward and satisfy her hunger, she was stopped by a hand placing itself under her chin and upon gradually looking up she found herself staring into the brown eyes of her lover.

"C'mere" he simply uttered and there was just something in the tone of his voice that just had her humming in anticipation and pleasure, and all she was forced to do as a result was comply, dragging each inch of her currently clothed body against his practically naked one.

Once she was within viewing range if his beautiful face, she just stared at him in wonder for a few moments and then wordlessly leaned forward, pressing her lips against his while pulling him closer to her with her arms.

(Some time later)

She was standing on the bed and was pushed against the wall in a demanding, but gentle manner by a much bigger and gasping form behind her, and upon looking back to identify it once more, all she could now see was his mouth working on the back of her neck, while his hips grinded against hers in quick and whole thrusts.

"Jack, uhhh look at me" she moaned out while throwing her head back against his shoulder in an attempt to force him to pull away so that he could comply with her request. Thankfully he gradually pulled away to look at the side of her face, but he still continued with his urgent thrusting, striving to keep them in the realm of the pleasure they had stirred up from within each other in the first place.

"Yeah baby." he gasped while allowing his mouth to attach itself to her neck once again, simply not being able to get enough of it's moist taste.

"I love you" she moaned out a little louder than before and all she got in response this time was a more forceful push against the wall opposite them, and within seconds of doing that he pressed himself up against her from behind while saying……

"Say it again" he moaned out while accompanying it with a full thrust making her moan out loud in response once again, but she was more than quick in complying with anything he wanted at this point. So she decided to satisfy the source of his apparent pleasure by speaking the words she had never felt for anyone else.

"I love you. God I love you so much." she moaned out and at that very moment they both screamed into each others mouths. His obviously making more of an impact because it was quite hard for her to lean her head all the way back, seeing as his body was still pressed up against hers.

"I love you too." he replied in a soothing voice as they pulled apart only to engage with each other once again in a fiery and passionate manner, in an attempt to renew what was just expressed.

**There it is guys. So what do you think so far??**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

**Wohooo!! I've hit the hundred mark and I'm so happy and honoured that I have made it this far. Anyhoo back to the fic now, since I'm all out of redbull now, hehe. Hope you guys will like it and once again thanks so much for the reviews.**

Enjoy

He slowly opened his eyes to take in the current scenery he was seeing through his hazy and sleep filled eyes. However that didn't seem to come in the way of his sudden burst of hunger now rumbling through the entire expanse of his pyjama clad body. So with that he reached for the door handle to his little room and once he was completely out of it's darkened depths, he headed for the closest partially closed entrance, and without thinking of what resided behind there, he pushed open the door with force and called out for attention.

"Momma, Daddy my stomach's hungry!" Sammy half whined in desperation as he tried to wipe the sleep from his little brown orbs. However one of the two people currently lying butt naked across from him were off the bed in seconds and covering the parts of them their son was clearly to young to see or understand.

"Hang on son." Jack whispered out to his clearly clueless son who just kept on scratching his grumbling tummy while his father tried to rummage for his previously abandoned boxers. After spending an entire five minutes of doing just that much to Sammy's growing whines, Jack was half dressed now and moving to quickly satisfy his son's needs before he woke the entire house up with it.

"So what's it gonna be little man?" Jack casually inquired of the little boy in his arms as he continued on his path towards the kitchen.

"Pi - Wi - And - Zay?" The boy slowly uttered in his best try of the term he had been acquainted off earlier on from the one person he knew was a big lover of this snack, especially peanut butter, Claire, Jack immediately thought while allowing a small smile to spread across his slightly dishevelled features.

"What are you smiling for Daddy?" the little boy inquired, with all honesty masking his freckled features. An element that would always remind Jack of the reason he was living in this realm of Utopia. Never in his life would he have guessed to be living with the woman he had never felt that strongly for, and in his arms he was also holding the element that perfected his Utopia to the highest extent.

"Wow check out the Shepherd duo on night squad patrol!" a voice suddenly announced itself from behind the counter in the kitchen and the immediate groan coming from Jack was enough to firmly suggest who it was.

"Sawyer" Jack muttered and faintly nodded in his direction as he continued on, firstly by placing Sammy in one of the high chairs and then fixing him a snack.

"So what have you been up to Sawyer? Anything or in your case anyone new?" Jack asked in a not so monotonous manner, but in more of a sarcastic one. Him still not being able to accept the fact that this man was sitting in front of him and even living with them.

"Well I'm still looking for my very own Freckles, but for the time being I guess the real one will have to do now!" Sawyer teased back and if it wasn't for Sammy, then a lifeless and beaten up form would have been lying on the floor right now.

"Daddy what's a Freckles?" Sammy suddenly inquired, startling the two men out of their wordless moment of sharp staring.

"Hey Sammy why don't you go into the next room while me and Uncle Sawyer talk!" Jack offered his anxious son in a normal and expected Fatherly tone.

"But Daddy…" Sammy tried whining again in an attempt to be given into or heard, but All Jack did in response was give him a look of warning, and with that the boy was off while muttering a _sorry Daddy_, to the man currently standing behind him, holding a butter knife in his hand.

Once the little guy was out of view all Jack did was revert his gaze back to the man opposite him. Resuming in the wordless death stare they had originally engaged each other in, that was until one of them decided to finally get a word in to speak for the current tension in the room.

"Look Doc for the millionth time already, I ain't here to steal away your girl or your life for that matter. I'm just here because I….I just need…." the blonde man started off in his usual tone of roughness, but as he got further on, a surprising element of emotion started to also rise within it, and it certainly didn't go unnoticed by the curious man opposite him who just continued to wordlessly wait for some kind of reason as to why he was here, but as the minutes passed without a word shared, both men grew more agitated and as Sawyer gazed up at Jack he could see that very sense of agitation and hate evident within his gaze and for some reason he felt extremely offended by it, and with that he made a last minute safe decision to just drop it and leave.

"Are you still in love with her?" A voice suddenly inquired off him as the blonde man opted to get up and walk back to his bedroom, but again for some reason he couldn't seem to find the will to move, because that very use of the word suddenly reminded him of what he had so unfortunately lost recently, and it wasn't just the brunette sleeping upstairs.

"Well are you?" Jack asked again as he got no response the first time.

"Just drop it Jack." Sawyer replied in a low and serious manner. A clear enough sign that this was leading somewhere dark and deep, but Jack was still curious to find out just what that reason was because it was getting in the way of his life with Kate and Sammy. So with that he repeated his question for the third time and this time all Jack got in response was a pair of constricting hands around his neck.

"Believe me Doc you don't wanna fucking go there because I will ahhhh" the man initiating the attack managed to get out before he was knocked straight in the face by his opponent. However before Jack had the time to verbally respond, they were interrupted once again by a softer voice asking the most obvious question of all.

"What the hell is going on?" Kate asked while securing the tie she had on her white silk robe. In immediate response to her question, both men looked up at her and momentarily got lost in her, right before she demanded for an explanation again, leading Jack to briefly look at her and then at the bleeding man on the floor.

"Oh come on. You don't expect me to believe that, that just appeared there." she spoke while mainly focusing her gaze on the currently hurt and offended man standing over the other.

"Fine then, why don't I leave you two alone to talk this out because I'm done with it." Jack simply stated in return and then walked off into the next room with a plate of Sammy's sandwich in hand, leaving the gob smacked brunette to do nothing else but stand there and feel slightly shocked at his actions at first, but then a gradual sense of knowing came over her of the very reason he had done this. Never the less she snapped herself out of it and crouched onto the floor to help the other man up.

"Thanks Freckles, but you know that you didn't have to do that." the man expressed with all gratitude and honesty in his voice and the brunette could do nothing else but smile with the same amount of sentiment.

"C'mon let's get you patched up." she simply instructed as she examined the wound on the top of his nose and the side of his face. Although as she examined the "wound" on the side of his face slightly further, she could see that it wasn't his blood, but the imprint of the one who had planted the punch there in the first place. However she knew that she couldn't leave Sawyer bleeding just so she could tend to Jack minimal wound, so she continued on with retrieving the first aid kit from the cabinet beneath the sink while giving the blonde man a wet cloth to hold over his nose.

(Meanwhile in the other room)

After his little bust up with the man next door, he chose to situate himself with the next best thing apart from Kate who could take his mind of things for a while.

"Hey Daddy. Come watch the Power rangers with me." Sammy expressed in utter delight making the older man opposite him smile while offering him his sandwich, which he gratefully took with a thank you and a hug shared, one of which Jack didn't let him out of that easily, instead he wrapped the little guy up even tighter in his embrace and just closed his eyes to relish in the warmth of familiarity.

A half an hour later and Sammy was fast asleep within Jack's embrace. His little head resting back comfortably on his father's chest, as Jack too did the same. _What am I gunna do with you two?, _the gazing brunette softly said to herself as she moved forward to retrieve the blanket lying on the side of the sofa.

"Mmmm" Jack momentarily uttered in the form of a dragged out moan as Kate made the move to slowly cover the two men in her life, one of which she could now see was wounded badly, judging by the bloodstained knuckles. In that very minute of her knowing this, she felt like she had just been stabbed through her heart with a knife. _How could she be so dismissive of him earlier. How could she blame him for what had happened earlier, knowing very well that he wasn't the violent type. Why do I always ruin these things, _she bitterly asked herself with nothing but hatred for the absurd way she had acted. However as much as she wanted to try and make amends with him for what she had done, she knew that waking him up in the middle of the middle of the night while also waking up their son might be a tad inconvenient. So in the end she opted to just place a kiss on each of their heads while covering them up fully with the blanket, and once she was done, she just looked back at the two of them once again before retreating to her bedroom upstairs.

She woke up early the next morning and as she reluctantly opened her eyes to grace the start of a new day, the realisation of last night's events came back, and with that she was out of her bed in seconds, retrieving her robe once again right before she bolted out the door, heading for the living room downstairs.

However as she finally arrived downstairs, all she found was a quiet and empty space, one of which used to be filled with so much life.

"Morning Momma." Sammy uttered as he walked down the similar path she had just made not so long ago. Sadly Jack didn't follow after him, and with that her worry for him grew along with the nagging feeling as to whether he could and would come back, ever. _What have I done?, _she said to herself as she sat on the couch, ignoring everything else around her other than the rising guilt resurfacing itself within her once again.

"Momma you okay? Is Daddy okay?" Sammy inquired as he crouched himself in front of his mother. She didn't respond to him at first, instead she just buried her face into her hands even further, but as Sammy moved to take her hands away from her face to find out what was going on for himself, she just gave up and broke down completely, but her tears were soon stopped by a pair of small thumbs trying their best to wipe them away.

"Don't cry Momma, I'm sure Daddy's not that mad, I mean he left you a letter and all." Sammy revealed while striking some semblance of hope within her in response, and it progressed considerably further when Sammy ran to the kitchen to bring the letter Jack had left her.

"Here it is Momma." Sammy uttered as he handed her the small piece of neatly folded paper, a perfect representation of the way he was.

_Kate,_

_Hey! Just gone down to the hospital to get my job back. Will see you tonight._

_Jack_

_That's all, that's all he had, _she affirmed herself still in disbelief, and with that she read the letter over again to just make sure that, that was what he said, and on the fifth read she started to believe and accept it, and with that she just resorted to the guilt within her once again. Blaming herself solely for what had happened.

(Down at St. Sebastian's hospital)

He walked through the automatic double doors of the familiar place he once used to practically live in, before the crash that is, but now, now he was a different man with a life and priorities, but still he felt that he could manage this as well. Little did he know that he was about to get one more thing to take care of.

"Morning I'm just here to see….."Jack started out, but he was unknowingly interrupted by a voice announcing itself behind him.

"Jack? Oh my God Jack it's you. I finally found you." the woman gasped out in tears while leaning forward to engage him in a warm and tight hug.

"Sarah. What are you doing here, is something wrong?" Jack inquired off her as a friendly gesture, but all she did in response was pull away to smile at him while saying…..

"Not anymore Jack. Nothing's wrong as long as your around." she confessed while releasing a hint of smile from him in return, but it was enough to give her hope.

"So…..what are you doing here?" he asked of her once again, and this time she turned more serious and decided to beat right to the chase with it.

"Well I've been looking everywhere for you Jack to tell you something you should have had the right to know a long long time ago." she admitted while hanging her head in genuine sadness and shame as a result of what she had been hiding, still.

"So what is it then?" he asked while bracing himself for the utter worst.

"Is there somewhere we can talk in private?" she asked him with a pleading expression while she still held on to his hand tightly.

At first he didn't really want to deal with this, but as he looked at her face once again, he saw that there was something genuinely wrong and he couldn't help but want to fix it in some way. So with that he quickly scouted his surroundings, and then spotted a few empty seats in the Visitor's area, and with that in mind he gently placed his hand on her back and escorted her towards the designated area.

Once she was seated, and composed enough to speak , she just looked at him once again while daringly allowing her hand to gently stroke the side of his face in a not so friendly manner, and almost immediately Jack just pulled away from the gesture while sharing a steely glance with her, right before he got up from his chair, knowing what she was obviously after now. However as he made the move to do so, he saw that she quickly rummaged through her handbag and a few minutes later he saw that she pulled out a photo with what looked like a little girl on it, a strangely familiar looking girl.

"Her name is Maggie Shepherd and she's four now." the blonde woman slowly revealed while allowing her gaze to focus on the picture of her daughter, her and Jack's daughter.

**There it is guys. Sorry I had to do this BTW, but you know me and jangst, we're the best of friends lol, well second to jex that is, hehe. So what do you think guys?**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

**Hey guys, moi is back again and with me I bring another instalment. So without further interruption here it is and I hope you guys will like it and once again thanks so much for the reviews.**

Enjoy

"Momma, is Daddy gonna come back ever again?" a small voice softly asked the person hovering above him, who was trying her very best to wipe the worry from her more than visible features.

"I hope so sweetie, I hope so." the brunette replied in all earnest while trying to convince herself to still have some hope in the fact that he would be walking through that front door any minute now.

"Why is Daddy so sad Mommy? Was it because of that big funny talking man with the girly hair?" Sammy asked with a straight face while the brunette across from him just laughed out loud at his witty yet surprisingly accurate description.

"Just go to sleep baby and the next time you open your eyes Daddy will be here, and he'll be as happy as ever." she expressed, coaxing her son a bit so that she could finally get him to succumb to the dream world. A place where your troubles and worries were nothing but a myth.

"You pwomise?" the little boy asked her while his eyes slowly started to droop, clearly suggesting that he was in fact drowsing off, and in response Kate just smiled, stroking his soft brown hair while mouthing and acting out an all known gesture he had been taught since he was a little baby.

"Kay, pinky pwomise Momma. Night." Sammy replied right before the back of his head hit the pillow. A gesture which always made Kate gasp at thinking that one day he would seriously hurt himself doing that, but she figured in the end that it was just due to her maternal instincts. So with that she just leaned forward to place a kiss on the top of his head while returning his sentiment, and when she was done she just stood up from his bed, looked at his sleeping form once again and then made the move to vacate his room , jarring the door as she did so, but as she turned herself around to head towards her own bedroom, she was momentarily stopped by something in the midst of her pathway.

"Jack?" was all she then uttered when she finally recovered from her initial shock of just seeing him here, now after the way things were left between them.

"Hey" he replied in a low voice while lowering his gaze to the ground, and at first she couldn't seem to decipher as to why he was suddenly behaving in this way, but as she saw the rapid movement of his shoulders bobbing up and down, she could now understand what was going on, and with that she gently grabbed the sides of his face and forced him to finally look her in the eye to confirm her assumptions once and for all.

"What happened Jack?" the brunette whispered to him while she inched herself even closer in the hopes that her presence would calm his emotional resolve somehow, but much to her disappointment he just tried to pull away from her while softly mumbling to be left alone, but this time she was adamant on not letting him go, not again.

"Don't fight me Jack, please don't fight with me this time. Just tell me what's wrong." she softly breathed out into his quietly sobbing face, her own tears surfacing at the very sound and sight of it.

"I screwed up Kate." he spoke out once he managed to gain some sense of control over his emotions.

"No Jack I did and I'm sorry that I neve….." she started out in a genuine apologetic tone, but he just started talking as well and as much as she wanted to continue with what she had rehearsed earlier, she was rather intrigued to hear his side of the argument. Little did she know that it would be the least thing she would have expected in a long time, and especially from him.

"I saw Sarah today Kate and she…….she…" he tried getting out before the realisation of what she had told him came rushing back, and with that his emotions got the better of him once again.

"Jack?………Jack what is it?" Kate kept on asking him in an anxious tone to cover up the fear she was now feeling in inside, especially at the mention of his ex - wife's name. A woman she had never got the chance to meet and in some ways she was glad that she hadn't because she wasn't sure if Sarah would be walking alive out the door once she had met her.

"I……..I have a daugh…….I have a daughter." he mouthed out as the utter extent of his emotions forced his voice to slowly fade, and it was only cause Kate was so near him that she understood what he had said, and as an immediate response she just covered her mouth to cover the gasp that was already coming out as a verbal proclamation of her shock, and in response to that Jack just bent his head down once again, accepting the fact that this might be it. That he was never gonna get a chance, not after this, but what he didn't expect next was to feel her left hand slowly moving against the side of his stubbled and dishevelled face, and this time he graciously leaned into it's warmth, regardless of whether she would be completely okay with it, but if she wasn't then why did she do it in the first place, he thought to himself as he slowly closed his eyes to relish in the soothing feeling of her lulling ministrations. However the moment was short lived when he was brought back to reality by the sound of her voice asking him a simple yet unexpected question….

"What is she like?" she asked while sharing a small smile with him, but sadly he didn't return it, instead he chose to just look at her weirdly thinking just how weird this was playing out. I mean the least I expected was a smack in the face, he said to himself, but another part of him dreadfully felt that the reason she wasn't bothered by this was because she didn't care for him, well not in the same way he felt for her, and as soon as the thought ventured within his mind, it was soon dismissed by what the brunette said next.

"Jack, none of us are perfect. I know I'm far from it but I know what kind of man you are Jack. You are the kindest and most generous person I have ever known and loved, STILL love….." she expressed, putting more emphasis on the last part because she really needed to make him see that this was it for him, he and Sammy were it for her.

"And no matter what comes in our path, it shouldn't stop us from anything, especially from you getting to know your daughter as well." she spoke out with all meaning and seriousness in her voice, and in return all Jack could do was continue to stare at her with nothing but awe and admiration, and within seconds of that he wordlessly leaned over to capture her lips in a heartfelt kiss. His lips slowly moulding it's impression against hers and she couldn't help but respond and comply to his needs.

"Kate" he moaned with need into her mouth, and oddly enough he pulled away from her almost suddenly with a dread filled look now adorning his eyes.

"Where's Sawy…." he managed to get out before she shut him up with her lips. Her hunger for him growing more insatiable and wanting. However she still sensed his hesitation as she literally plundered his mouth, so in an attempt to finally convince him of what she believed in, she briefly ripped her mouth from his and spoke the words she felt were the best way to make him understand.

"I love you, not him and that will never change." she confessed and the darker and more focused look he was now giving her was enough to make her shiver in an all familiar way, and part of it was due to the fact of his arms slowly making their way around her and under the t shirt she was wearing, or was wearing before he wordlessly pulled it off and then sealed his lips with hers, this time taking her by surprise, but much to his disappointment she pulled away from him with a wicked smile on her face, one he couldn't help but groan at while he slightly stroked the hard on he was already getting.

"Follow me!" she then simply instructed of him while curling her finger at him in an inviting manner, and soon he was willingly following her and groaning even louder as she slowly swayed her pyjama clad hips from side to side, and it wasn't until she reached the recess of their bedroom that she finally removed them, now revealing a jet black laced pair of panties.

"Mmmmmm" was what escaped from Jack's moistened lips as he stood in the doorway to watch the brunette before him sitting on the edge of their bed slowly stroking the parts of her he longed to feel, caress and kiss, but for the time being he just settled for watching her. However judging by the tight feeling he was now experiencing within his pants, he knew that he wouldn't be able to keep up with this for very long.

"Doctor" the brunette suddenly moaned out to the man at the doorway while rubbing her hand along the side of her neck in what seemed to be a pained fashion, and Jack couldn't help but be slightly alerted by it, but as he inched closer, he knew it was simply a way to get him. So from there on he decided to play along, grabbing something he had spotted to complete his look in the best way.

"Is there something I can help you with Miss?" he responded in his best attempt at a professional tone, and for a brief moment she just opened her eyes, her mind momentarily confused, but as she saw the vision in front of her, she couldn't help but further herself into the game he was willing to play with her. So with that she reverted back to being the patient, making sure to put in a few more lengthy moans to hopefully heighten the tension for the both of them.

"I think there is Doctor. You see I've got this itch right here…." she spoke out while allowing her fingers to move south and point out the area where she wanted his attention, and as his eyes followed the path her fingers were making, he couldn't help but lick his lips as he got the slight aroma of her wetness when one of her fingers moved over the area.

"Well it's a good thing you came to me in time because it looks like it does need a little attention." he instructed while stroking the underside of his chin to accommodate the character he was playing at the moment, but soon the smile crept back onto his face with what he had to say next.

"Why don't we take a closer look to see how severe it is." he offered and with that he went onto his knees while his hands slowly moved along the length of her legs, inching all the way up to the sides of her panties, and in one swift motion it was roughly removed from her body, only to then be met with the sensation of his warm and laboured breathing hitting against her sensitive area.

"So how is it?" Kate asked while throwing her head back even further, her hands literally burning to just shove his head a little closer to her, and the fact that she couldn't do it made her all the more wetter for him, and the moan she heard and felt coming from him was enough to tell her that he wanted it too.

"I think this should do it." he spoke out before he finally placed his mouth against her, his tongue darting out to lick around the moistening area, only to then follow the path to where it was spewing out from in generous proportions.

"Mmmmm" was all he could hum once again, his mouth moving further into her, his tongue working her harder while his hands slowly ran up her body, massaging every inch his fingers touched and that was enough for her, and almost immediately she was arching off the bed and into his mouth, giving him what he was working for all this time.

Once she was done he almost reluctantly pulled away from her sated center and just gazed into her eyes while securing the stethoscope now around his neck.

"So how does that feel Miss?" he inquired off her while absent mindedly rubbing his hands up her thighs, not even realising that she was getting her revved up again within a matter of seconds.

"Mmmm well why don't you come up here and check these out." the brunette asked while spreading her body out beneath his, now uncovering her matching bra. The only part of her body which was still hidden from him, and the utter sight of it suddenly made him feel like a kid being denied candy or something, and within seconds of that thought forming within his mind, his hands were moving around her body to undo the clasp which would finally free her to be exposed to him, completely, and once the bra was finally removed, he then slowly moved up her body, his lips making a wet trail along the path he was making, and when his mouth reached the valley of her breasts, he then made the instinctual move to place his gasping lips over the area, but he was stopped, not by her own hands but by the stethoscope he was still wearing around his neck.

"Kate" he softly moaned out, not really wanting to play the game anymore because he was too turned on to keep up the tension filled charade, but she on the other hand was fairly certain and adamant on playing out the rest of this fantasy. So with that she tightened the grip she had on the end of the stethoscope and with a little tugging she had managed to flip them over so that she was on top, but she didn't sit over him immediately, instead she slowly removed his clothes, starting with the buttons of his shirt and then moving all the way down to his jeans, and all he could do in response to her sultry ministrations was close his eyes while folding his hands behind his neck. A sight which nearly killed the brunette above him once she caught a quick peek, especially when he was as exposed as her wearing nothing but a stethoscope around his neck. His form sprawled out in all it's glory waiting to be tended to, and within seconds she was right on it, firstly and briefly starting with his lips and then moving and inching South. Kissing, licking and also biting her entire way down there, until she finally stopped at the area of his arousal, now poking straight into the air, much like a rocket would at it's schedule of lift off, she silently mused to herself as she watched the entire structure of his erection waiting for her, striving to satisfy only her, but for the time being she wanted to shower the pleasure on him a little, so with that she slowly allowed her fingers to creep onto the base of his cock, her hand travelling all the way up it's thick girth to the slightly oval shaped head at the top. The part she could tell was already close to exploding judging by the moisture that was gathering over it, and with seeing that painfully arousing scene, she couldn't help but feel the need to taste him as he had done so many times with her, each time being completely thorough in his ministrations which in turn always brought her to a mind shattering release.

So with that she licked her lips one more time before her lips sealed themselves around the entire expanse of his swelling head, her moaning as she finally tasted what was deliciously spread all over it's expanse, _like icing on a nice big chocolate cake_, she thought to herself as she hungrily licked him all over.

"Kate I ah…." was all the man below her could utter as her mouth slowly travelled from his head and then to the pulsing girth of his length, immediately opting to deep throat him in an attempt to satisfy some of her need for him at this moment, but before she could move any further, she felt her head being pulled back firmly, but gently, and as she was forced to pull away from him with a stressed moan, she just looked straight into his eyes, expecting to see some kind of question within those delicious brown orbs, but all she saw in return was a raw sense of longing and she suddenly knew that he wanted to achieve it in the best way he knew how, and without saying another word he just grabbed hold of the sides of her hips and positioned her over and then slowly onto him, allowing her to gradually feel every single inch of his rock hard length as it slithered into her, and once he was halfway in, he momentarily stopped to take the time to open his eyes and see if she was still alive and the low and sensuous moaning he felt coming out of her was a sure enough sign to him that she was definitely enjoying the sensation of his length just being embedded within her, but tonight he wanted it to be different for both of them. He wanted it to be one to remember. So with that he decided to go back into role play, being the discreet Doctor.

"So Ms. Austen it feels like your burning up." the Doctor moaned as he thrust an inch more of his length into her, making her arch and moan even more.

"Well I think you might have to go a little deeper to find out what's causing it Doctor." the brunette strained to reply as he immediately responded, this time burying the rest of his length into her and once that inner touch was initiated, they both let out moans of appreciation in response, and from there on they mutually decided that this game needed to end because now they needed to be with each other, as Jack and Kate. Two people who loved each other with a burning passion and there was nothing that could have shown or told them otherwise. Jack knew that now as he gazed into her eyes while his hips started to buck up and move against her, proclaiming and confirming something he had so stupidly doubted earlier on.

(Meanwhile)

"Yeah just the usual, wait could you hold on for a minute." a voice spoke with a slight sense of uncertainty into the phone.

"Maggie honey is it anchovies on top or not." the woman asked while she placed her left hand on the speaker.

"No Auntie Sawah"

**There it is guys, a little bit of naughty role playing jex lol, and a little cliff hanger to leave you guys wondering about Sarah and what she's really up to. So what do you think guys??**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

**Hey guys moi is back again and before I go on I would like to take the time to thank everyone for the lovely reviews, they are seriously the things that keep me motivated to write so many fics at one time, so thanks guys and please keep them comin ;)**

Enjoy

"_Yeah just the usual, wait could you hold on for a minute." a voice spoke with a slight sense of uncertainty into the phone._

"_Maggie honey is it anchovies on top or not." the woman asked while she placed her left hand on the speaker._

"_No Auntie Sawah"_

"Okay honey…"

"Yeah, could you just make it a cheese feast instead….thanks that'll be it." the blonde spoke in a surprisingly cheerful manner to the person on the other end who was feeling the exact opposite. The strain of a job with hours like this already getting to them.

"Okay Mam, it'll be ready in about fifteen minutes." the monotonic voice spoke out on the other end, and then opted to disconnect the line in an almost instinctual manner to display their tiredness, but the perkiness of the woman on the other end was what made him sigh yet again while also putting the phone to his ear once again.

"I'm sorry to bother you but do you deliver?" Sarah asked and the immediate silence she got in return was enough to put her into a state of worry and concern.

"I'm a ……I'm sorry Mam we can't we….um" was all she heard before the line was abruptly disconnected, and all she could do from there on was allow her suspicions to get the better of her, and with checking on Maggie's now sleeping form one more time, she silently left the house, her mind fixed on one destination and one destination only.

(Meanwhile)

"Just put the money into the bag, and I won't have to use this." the figure now in front of the previously tired man ordered for him to do while pointing a gun right between his eyes.

"Okay, okay just please don't…..

"SHUT UP!!" the covered man screamed in an attempt to make the other person clear of what he wanted at this very minute, but what he didn't take the time to note was the fact that his screams were now being heard by someone who just so happened to be passing by the heavily advertised and lit up place at the moment, and at first their initial thoughts were to stay out of this, but as they suddenly caught sight of the seriousness of the scene, they couldn't help but feel that maybe their help might just make a difference, and with spending a few more seconds of thinking over their options, they just let out a lingering sigh and cautiously walked in through the entrance of the store, and once they did, they were immediately faced with the gun that was previously pointed at the other man.

"PUT YOUR HANDS OVER YOUR HEAD!!" the covered figure ordered for the person who had just entered the store to do, and at first they felt extremely neglectant of complying with the person's orders, but as their gaze fell on the gun again, they felt that they really had no choice but to comply, even though a part of them wished to really feel that bullet go through them because they felt that they had nothing good to live for in this world anymore, so why not end it all in a matter of minutes.

(Outside the store)

"Oh my God" was all the blonde could utter as she caught sight of the scene now unfolding itself before her, and all she could then do was grab the phone she had kept tucked away in her pocket, just in case, and then she chose to dial the three digit number that would fix all of this for the better.

"Hello, emergency how can I help you" the voice spoke out on the other end and as she was about to voice her emergency, she was momentarily distracted by a change in commotion within the store, and as she took the time to gaze more clearly at what exactly was going on, she could now see the person with the gun focusing completely on her while the gun they were also holding shot out as a result to what they had just seen, and instead of moving out of the way the very next second, she just stood there, frozen, not really knowing what could and would happen next if she continued to stand in that very same position, but lucky for her the bullet never got the chance to reach her, instead all she saw next was another figure falling before her. A broad shouldered man with shoulder length blonde hair, she noted as she briefly caught sight of him before he fell.

"Hello, Hello is there a problem?" she heard the voice on the other end ask her as she continued to just stand there watching the figure she assumed was trying to save her, fall to the ground while seemingly clutching an unidentifiable part of him. The next thing she saw was the covered and unidentifiable figure running out of the store, dismissing the gun in the nearest trash can on his way out, and with that he was off, leaving somebody else to clean up the mess.

"Hello!!"

"Hello….yes I'd like to report an accident….um on Chelsea Avenue…please hurry cause someone's been shot." the blonde tried getting out while trying her best to not stutter along the way.

"Okay Mam we are sending an ambulance straight away. Now just tell us what happened?" the operator the opted to ask in a normal procedure.

"SOMEONE GOT SHOT, WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT!!" the blonde screamed out , her voice being fuelled by an unexpected bout of anger that arose within her after hearing what seemed to be an extremely absurd question at the time. However in the end she decided to calm herself down a bit, and then opt to telling the operator what she had seen and experienced, and when she was finally done and assured that the ambulance was on it's way, she got off the phone and ran into the store to where the person she had seen being shot earlier now lying unconscious on the floor in an uncomfortable position.

"Oh my God, no please don't do this. C'mon please don't…. I….." the blonde tried uttering while her emotions over having witnessed such a scene got the better of her, and with that she completely broke down. A part of her feeling responsible for having caused this in the very first place.

"Ahhhh…..what the…." she started to hear the figure below her faintly mumble as their face then contorted into that of a painful one as their hand touched the area of the bleeding wound.

"Shhh it's okay, it's okay. Just lie still, the paramedics are already on their way." the blonde tried in an encouraging manner to help ease the now moving form beneath her, and as a result of this movement, the condition of the wound worsened.

"Oh God….um can you get me a towel or something." the blonde then chose to ask the man behind the counter who was just as shocked as her at the very sight of what had happened within a matter of minutes.

"NOW!!" the blonde ordered with a raise of her tone. A gesture done in an attempt to snap the man out of his catatonic like state, and thankfully he did right after he was assigned his simple order, leading him to run into the kitchen so that he could acquire the nearest towel.

"Hey, hey look at me. Your going to be fine, okay." the blonde tried again, focusing her attention on the condition of the figure beneath her, and she could clearly see that their condition was gradually deteriorating, but still she kept a sense of hope within her at the fact that help would arrive in time. However the person below her wasn't really thinking along the same lines. In fact they were thinking of the things they truly cherished in their lives and the very last image that popped into their head was the silhouette of a freckled cheeked, green eyed woman he had the honour of meeting back in the one place he could weirdly call a home, but as he finally opened his eyes to gaze at reality one last time, he was suddenly met with that of a different scene. One which made some of the pain he was experiencing subside for the time being.

"Hey, are you okay, how's the pain?" he heard the blonde woman above him asking as he also saw a few of her tears fall from her emotionally concerned orbs and onto the surface of his being.

(Meanwhile)

"Mmmmmm now that is something worth waking up for." the brunette gasped out as she felt a pair of hands squeezing the entire expanse of her breasts while she felt wet kisses being placed along her neckline, and judging by the hardness she now felt rubbing against her, she knew that this wouldn't be ending anytime soon, and to be honest she didn't really want it to stop because it felt too damn good to refuse. So with that she arched herself further into the form behind her. In return giving the person behind her a chance to further what they had been patiently waiting for, for all this time.

So with that he grabbed hold of the brunette's right leg with his right hand while his left grasped hold of his fully hard and erect length, to only insert it in between the folds of her already moistening desire, and with a dragged out moan expressed into her ear, he slipped inside in one full thrust and almost immediately he felt himself already reaching the point of release, just at the very thought and feeling of being squeezed by her internally, but with a few more minutes spent of just trying to reign hold of that control, he finally gained it and felt that he was ready to initiate the natural process of reaching to that level, hopefully along with the brunette in his arms as well.

"Oh….ahhhhh…..it…ahhhhh" was all the brunette managed to utter as the man behind her made his thrusts more full and urgent, forcing the brunette's body to curl up into him. A gesture to show that she was giving him something more than just her body. She was giving him her trust and control, and knowing that touched him in ways he never thought could be a possibility for someone like him, and in turn it also forced him to change the pace in which he was loving her at the minute, but this time he also wanted to make more of an impression to make this moment more memorable for the both of them. So with spending a few more minutes of thinking over his options while still loving her; he finally thought of a new way, and with one glance at their current surroundings, he immediately concluded his thoughts and stilled his movements within her, forcing her to let out a frustrated groan in response to being denied the right of reaching the very tip of ecstasy, but as she finally took the time to gaze into his eyes, she saw that there was a reason as to why he had done this, and her assumptions at the moment were based on the look of pure and focused love she saw present within the recess of his darker than normal brown orbs.

"Do you trust me Kate?" he asked her with all meaning to reaffirm what he physically felt from her only moments before. Her response to that was to wordlessly lean forward, sealing her lips with his deeply and intensely, and once she pulled away, all she muttered was a _"yes", _and with that she found herself being pulled over his form, and then arched into the air, her mind waiting in anticipation of what might just happen next, and the very next moment all she felt was her form being welcomed into a familiar and comforting embrace again, but the part which forced her to moan out a little louder than expected was the feeling of Jack's heavy and hard length probing at her ass from below her, but much to her surprise, his cock amazingly found it's way to the place she truly wished for it be, and true enough it was granted to her, but this time the new position allowed for her to feel nearly all of him, and the sensation forced her to grow even wetter around him. His moans of appreciation and extreme pleasure showing her that he too was liking this new and slightly adventurous position, and with each leg of his firmly placed on the ends of the bed, he then grabbed hold of her sides and thrusted up into her, him sending the entire expanse of his length into her in one go, and all she could do was continue to moan his name in utter satisfaction, and in response to hearing this he couldn't help but feel his control to really have his way with her completely slipping away, and on the fifth call of his name being cried out, he stilled his movements again, this time only for a brief moment of time much to Kate's luck, and the next moment she found the table's of their position turned yet again. This time his form covering itself over her, but amazingly he stayed in her the whole time, and that was the one thing that didn't stop the brunette from flying at him in a wild rage for having interrupted their journey to experience each other and then release to complete the moment.

Once the position was maintained to it's peak much to Jack's estimation seeing as he was gonna be the one here initiating the experience for her. So with that done he placed his hands over hers flat, spreading the sheer entirety of his form over hers, and once that was accomplished, he placed his lips next to her ear, his mouth whispering the words……

"Enjoy the ride baby………"

And with that he pushed his length into her, the sensation and pressure pushing her front further into the bed, and at that moment Kate had to have something in her mouth to play out the passion she was feeling as he continued to thrust the full length of his hardened cock into her. The sheer force he was going at showing her in turn as to how crazy and insatiable she made him, and from there on she couldn't help but melt into it, heart and soul, and from there on things, more specifically the heat around the movement of their connection turned up a few notches, forcing both lovers in turn to heighten their ministrations on each other even more.

"How is it Kate? Tell me what it feels like baby to be loved in this way."

"Oh…..oh God Jack…..it feels….you feel….with your big and muscular body, and your big cock loving me, they make me feel so….ahhhhhhhh"

"What Kate…..tell me exactly how you feel when I do this…" he said and then allowed his voice to drift off once he briefly looked down at their connection, gazing at his own length moving in and out of her, and with that arousing scene in mind, he smiled wickedly and propped himself up onto his arms in a press-up like position, and once he was ready, he pulled himself out and pushed back in with an almost animalistic grunt and Kate was right there with him in matching that sound with a long dragged out moan of her own, but he could also hear her mumbling something along with that, and in an effort to hear it loud and clear, he repeated the action once again and this time he was rewarded with the shout of four words that made him want to erupt within her almost immediately as a response.

" LOVE ME HARD JACK!!"

"Oh Kate….." was all Jack said before he allowed himself to gradually accept the primal needs that literally screamed to be released from within him all this time, and Kate was more than complying in receiving and seeing this more dangerous and arousingly masculine side of him. It almost made her want to come, again and again.

"Oh Jack, Jack, Jaaaaaaaaaaaaaack, please harder, please fuck my pussy harder with that sexy cock of yours ahhhhhhh…..please baby" Kate managed to get out before her upper body was welcomed with an internal warmth. An internal warmth which brought on a gathering pain. Although not one of agony, but of pleasure, and all she could do in response to that was continue to plead of a heightening pace from the man above her while she allowed her own hips to buck up from the bed and into him. The combined sensation of the silk sheets rubbing against her growingly sensitive center and the frantic thrusting of Jack's cock making this experience really one to treasure and remember for her, _probably until the day I die_, she briefly mused to herself as she continued to play an innocent but willing victim to his wild loving.

"Are you coming soon, is it coming baby." Jack suddenly grunted to get out as he literally drove his length into her, silently hissing in pleasure at feeling the beginning of his own upcoming release, but even though a part of him felt like driving into her like a mad and ravenous man, another part of him, the part which dreamed to always love her tenderly, physically and emotionally, decided to hold off his own release so that she could enjoy this as well and come with him, just like two lovers engaged in a passionate moment like this should. So with that he waited, he asked her one more time and waited painfully, but patiently as he gazed at her face, seeing how flushed it was.

"Oh yes Jack. Yes I ….ahhhhhhhh…..I can feel it flowing through me, but just……oohhh"

"Just what honey?" Jack attempted to ask her in his most politest attempt because his physical resolve seemed to be weaning again over the very sight of her nude body uncovered before him, allowing itself to be loved by him and him only.

"Please………please come with me Jack." the brunette strained to utter as she immediately felt his compliance with her plea, not only in the form of a distinct change of speed in his thrusts, but also of the change she felt within her, especially as she now felt the engorged head of his cock pushing against her g- spot, and within moments of that new feeling, she suddenly felt her entire body tighten and arch into a perfect half moon formation, and with that she let out a scream combined with that of a pleasured laugh as she also felt the warmth of Jack's release now flowing into her at the same time. The sheer warmth of it bringing a deep blush upon her freckled cheeks, and soon the surface of those cheeks were now being showered with little baby kisses by the same man who was previously above her literally fucking her brains out.

"Wow, never thought you had it in you. God Jack!! I don't think I've ever come that hard." the brunette joked while masking an expression of genuine surprise over having experienced something like this with him.

"Oh that. That was just the start of something we'll…." Jack started out with a wicked smile, but soon it turned into a sigh when they both heard the phone going off on the bedside table, and in an attempt to not wake Sammy, Jack picked it up right away, his assumptions as to who it was being answered with a tired sigh coming from him, and judging by the hurried fashion in which they were talking in, he knew that it demanded his immediate attention and attendance.

"Okay, okay I'll be right there" was all he uttered over the phone, and his sigh of discontent was soon joined by the brunette below him, but a part of her knew that she had to prepare herself for something like this, from being with a Doctor, _especially one like Jack, _she said to herself while allowing a small smile to grace her features and almost immediately Jack picked up on it as he placed the phone back on the receiver.

"And what are you smiling about?" Jack asked her in a teasing fashion while allowing his hands to fall on her sides, his fingers slightly tickling her to elicit more of that smile he loved.

"Just wondering how truly amazing you are, and I mean really amazing, in every aspect." Kate replied while raising her eyebrows and arching her lower body teasingly into his, making him naturally groan in response.

"Mmmmm well as much as I would love to show the many ways I amaze you, I really have to go down to the hospital. It seems like they're running short on staff or something, but I'll try to be back as soon as possible." Jack expressed with a slight tinge of guilt in his heart for having to leave her again and after experiencing such a strong and meaningful moment with her, but a part of him knew and hoped that she would understand about his second love, second of course to her and Sammy.

"Promise" Kate chose to respond in that of a childish tone, and in response Jack just bowed his head and chuckled while nodding in an agreeing fashion and saying…………

"Over and over baby" he responded and with one last lingering kiss engaged between them, he reluctantly removed himself from her embrace and gradually got ready for work.

(At the hospital)

When he arrived he was immediately welcomed with a bustling atmosphere, but after working within it for so long he grew accustomed to what was expected of it, but nothing seriously compared to what he was witnessing now. _Tonight's gonna be hectic, _he said to himself as he tried to make his way to his office to start his day's work, but he was momentarily stopped by the woman at the reception area who at the moment was holding a file, an expression of genuine concern masking her middle aged features.

"Lucy what is it?" Jack attempted to ask while sharing that very look of concern, but it was mixed in with some confusion as well.

"Uh…well Dr. Shepherd there was a patient brought in a few minutes ago, and at first the Doctor's here thought that it would be a normal procedure of having to remove the bullet but…..it seemed that the bullet planted itself a lot deeper than we anticipated." the woman expressed with a deep amount of seriousness in her voice. An attempt to mainly show the sheer direness of the situation.

"How bad is it?" Jack simply asked, preparing himself for the worst.

"Follow me" was all the woman then instructed of him as she made her way through the double doors of the Emergency ward and then into a room where the very patient she had been talking about was.

"Lucy just tell me how ba……Sawyer?" Jack started out and then allowed his gaze to fall on a sight he never wished to see, no matter how much he loathed this man.

**Well there it is guys and come next chap we'll not only see how bad Sawyer's condition is, but we'll also start to see how Kate takes it and what will happen from there on, and don't worry cause Sarah will make her appearance as well. So what do you think?**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

**Hey guys moi is back now and with a continuation of the if you wanna call it ****"****the gathering storm****"**** of the fic, but by the end of this we will come to some sort of resolution. One that jaters might be happy with after all. So without further interruption here it is guys and thanks for the reviews; and as always please keep them coming ;)**

Enjoy

"_How bad is it?" Jack simply asked, preparing himself for the worst._

"_Follow me" was all the woman then instructed of him as she made her way through the double doors of the Emergency ward and then into a room where the very patient she had been talking about was._

"_Lucy just tell me how ba……Sawyer?" Jack started out and then allowed his gaze to fall on a sight he never wished to see, no matter how much he loathed this man._

In all his years of medicine, he had never hesitated over a single patient, but weirdly enough he was now and why he wondered.

"Dr. Shepherd? Dr. Shepherd?" he heard the nurse beside him softly asking for his attention because whether he liked it or not he had to face this. To fix this.

"What's the status of his condition?" he then chose to ask while his mind still tried to reel around the fact that this was happening.

"He lost a lot of blood on the way here and we tried to stabilize him but………."

"But what?" he inquired in a hurried manner.

"We were unable to remove the bullet and that's the reason we needed you." the nurse briefly explained putting the Doctor into a combined state of confusion and frustration. The latter winning effortlessly when the nurse failed to reply.

"TELL ME!!" he demanded in an angered yet hushed manner and it was enough to shiver the nurse with nothing but fear. Never the less she hesitantly continued on with what she had to say.

"The bullet's lodged itself directly above his tail bone and removing it….."

"Could result in him developing an early stage of spinal stenosis." the Doctor finished while furrowing his brow to convey the stress he already felt surfacing from within him. The nurse's gradual nod of agreement in response worsening the moment further.

"They said you were the best Dr. Shepherd. They said that you were the only one who could fix this." the nurse stressed. Her tone not only showing him determination but trust as well.

By now his reputation as the "Miracle Doctor" earned him a lot of publicity and that was besides the popularity he gained as being one of the survivors of the infamous "Flight 815". Although now he almost wished that he wasn't those things cause it made his life all the more hectic. To the point where he felt like he should have jumped off that bridge after all.

No, was the immediate answer that rang through his head the very next minute, and with that two names followed. Two names that caused a spark to ignite his beating heart. Although one of those names caused an alarming thought to then form within his mind. One which became so obviously apparent to him as he gazed at the virtually lifeless man in the hospital bed.

What should I tell her? Would she want to know? All those questions loomed through his mind, but one seemed to rein through clear……

"_She deserves to know"_

So with that set in his mind he allowed his right hand to fish around for his mobile phone, and upon retrieving it, he quickly punched in the number. His composure in a jittery state the whole time he heard the ringing on the other end.

"Hello" she drowsily let out while she rubbed her eyes to vanquish the sleep from it. Although the sound of his voice was thankfully enough to now keep her awake somewhat.

"What's wrong?" she immediately took the chance to ask before he could even return so much as a _"how are you?" _or something. Although to a certain extent he was relieved that she was already jumping to the chase because he wasn't so sure as to how he would come at this. All that he did know was that he had to tell her the truth and the sheer seriousness of it.

"It's……it's bad Kate."

"Jack what is it…..your scaring me." she interrupted him. Her heartbeat gathering pace with each silent second that passed, and it all came to a stand still when she finally got a response.

"It's Sawyer." was all he offered and much to his surprise it was enough to wake her up completely. Her already going on the alert from that moment onward.

"I'll meet you at the Hospital." she declared and then disconnected. Leaving him to simply follow through with it even though a part of him was now regretting having made that call in the first place. He should have known better.

After she had got off the phone with Jack, she quickly made another call to a person she could trust with Sammy while she was at the Hospital. Fifteen minutes later and she heard knocking on her front door. Her assumptions of the knocker's identity being fulfilled with relief cause it finally meant that she could see him again after all this time.

She couldn't really explain what she felt when Jack had told her the news but worryingly enough she felt something old and familiar. Familiar to what she felt back on the island for him. Back when things seemed so much easier than now.

No, you love Jack and that's it, a voice reaffirmed her once the very possibility of her feelings for the Southerner crept it's way through.

"Honey you okay?" she then heard a voice in front of her inquire with nothing but concern and kindness in their tone.

"Huh……yeah, Daddy I'm fine……I'm just a little wired that's all." she spoke with a tired smile. The gesture made in an attempt to help hide the conflicting emotions she was feeling on the inside, and thankfully enough their conversation was left at that.

(Meanwhile)

He still stood there. Him staring at his phone like it was something he had never seen before, but he simply couldn't get over the worrying possibility that he might lose her again. Worse if he had lost her already.

Her and Sammy were literally the only things he found himself now living for and to now have that taken away from him would surely push him completely over that bridge without a second thought.

No, think positive, he told himself. Jumping to conclusions would only put him further into rut of his suspicions.

"I HAVE A RIGHT TO SEE HIM, NOW LET ME GO!!" he suddenly heard a voice screeching down the corridor and with hearing it's tone he felt something familiar within it. Like he had heard it somewhere before. Could it be…….

"Sarah?" he uttered. Feeling even more confused at seeing her, especially here.

"I'm sorry Mam but it's only close relatives who can see him." the nurse tried reasoning with the blonde woman, but Jack could already tell that she was gonna put up a fight over it, and before it could erupt into one, he walked forward and decided to intervene. Him knowing very well what could happen as a result of this.

"It's okay Judy I can take it from here." he offered as he approached the two equally worked up women.

"Are you Dr. Shepherd?" the nurse asked before she made the move to leave. His nod of agreement allowing her to follow through completely. Once she was out of sight, he allowed his gaze to finally fall on the blonde.

"What are you doing here Sarah?" he asked with all curiosity, and her momentary pause was what aggravated him for some reason. Him being reminded of a time when she would do this to him on a frequent basis.

"I…….I came to see him Jack, is he okay?" she replied and asked while pointing towards the room where Sawyer lay.

"How do you….."

"I saw it happen Jack. It all happened because of me." she confessed as her mind flashed back to what had happened. The account swelling an uncontrollable sense of emotion from within her, and all Jack was left to do was allow her to sink into his friendly embrace. The blonde relinquishing in his comforting warmth for all it was worth.

"It's all my fault Jack. All my fault." she tried to speak through her tears, but all Jack could do was softly convince her otherwise. His words bringing her some comfort, but she still chose to remain in his arms.

"I'm scared Jack." she spoke. Her voice muffled as she buried her face in his chest. Her ears being comforted with the sound of his strong beating heart.

"It's gonna be okay." he awkwardly offered as the blonde tightened her hold on him even more as a response, and that feeling of awkwardness excelled even further as she slowly pulled away to gaze at him with a teary and seemingly heartbroken expression.

"Thank you" she let out in a trembling tone while she allowed her equally trembling hand to stroke the side of his face. The roughness of his skin causing shivers to reverberate through the surface of hers.

"Uh….don't mention it" he replied while he slowly backed away from her.

"Yes I do Jack. You were always there for me and now….."she expressed with the utmost emotion and intent in her voice while she stepped even further into him.

"Now I just….." she started and broke off as her lips moved to attach with his, and she grew elated at the fact that he seemed to finally give in, but at the last minute she was surprised and disappointed that he had pulled away. The realisation unfortunately kicking in.

Sarah I can't……I won't I'm sorry." he offered her in his best shot at an explanation and he hoped that she would take the message, but it seemed she was resilient and frankly quite ignorant to what he was trying to convey. His body language making it pretty clear that he was no longer interested in the way she was so obviously with him.

"Please Jack, I need you." she begged off him. Her hoping that this last attempt would finally win him over, but much to her annoyance it became considerably hard for her to achieve when his focus planted itself on something else.

_(Meanwhile - a few minutes earlier)_

_The whole ride here had been an agonising one, and the three traffic jams she had so unfortunately been a part of made it all the more agonising. Never the less she tried to maintain a sense of balance within her emotions and thankfully it stayed that way for the rest of the journey._

_Once she arrived at the double door entrance to the Hospital, she rushed through and headed straight for the reception area. Her heart beating at such a rapid pace that it was almost becoming considerably painful with each step she took, but her determination to find out if he was okay seemed to fuel her at the moment._

"_Excuse me but do you know where Dr. Shepherd is?" she managed to get out between her bouts of exhaustion. Although it soon grew into that of anger when the woman in front of her ignored her and stayed on the phone with whom ever she was talking with._

"_WHERE IS….."_

"_Kate?" she heard a voice interrupt her from behind. Her first instinct was to simply ignore it, but upon noticing the identity of the voice she grew suddenly interested by it. _

"_Cassie right?" the brunette furrowed her eyebrows while her mind tried to recollect their initial meeting which seemed like decades ago. Never the less she pulled herself out of it and offered the woman in front of her, her attention. _

"_So what are you doing here?" she then inquired while her hands acted out of friendly instinct to offer comfort when she sensed how distressed this woman was. Although before she took the chance to say anything else, she was off. Her sobs growing louder as she stepped outside._

_Kate on the other hand just continued on with her journey. The woman behind the desk thankfully helping her this time, and then she was on her way there in no time. _

_Four floors later and she took her first step towards his room, but she was stopped halfway by a sight that stunned her. There he was in her arms. Their lips too close for her liking, but what worried her the most was the fact that he seemed to be accepting what this blonde woman was offering. That was until she decided to make her presence known. _

"Kate I..." he exclaimed in a startled manner. Almost as if he was a scared little kid thinking he had done something wrong, and to be honest he wasn't that far off from the theory.

"Oh, don't mind me." the brunette expressed while raising her hands in the air to mainly signal that she didn't want to hear it. Not even from him. Although as she walked past the blonde decided to speak.

"So you're the one who's been making him miserable." she had the audacity to say and before Jack could voice his own opinion of that statement, the brunette beat him to it.

"You got a problem with me lady then say it to my face, not when I'm walking away." she shot back and turned around. Her anger showing through ever so vibrantly through her darkened green orbs.

"So do you have anything else to say to me?" she demanded as she now placed herself directly in front of the blonde, and when Sarah failed to make a come back. The brunette decided to have her way.

"Good, so why don't you run off and hangout by the docks. Although before you do that you might want to check yourself into a psych ward cause those eyes look a little too shifty for me."

All the blonde did in response to this was offer Jack a broken look, but yet again it failed to make an impression on him. So in attempt to maintain some sense of dignity for herself, she stepped back and then walked towards Sawyer's room. Her being stopped mid-way by the brunette.

"Get your hands off me!!" she hissed at the brunette. Her temper really flaring through when she failed to let go. Although what she decided to say next was enough to make the brunette freeze, mentally and physically.

"What? You own him too." the blonde spoke in the same angered tone and then ripped her arm out of the brunette's grip.

All the brunette could think of from that moment onwards was whether she still did feel for the Southerner in that way, and if so where did it leave the man behind her. The man she was convinced she loved with all her heart all this time. Sammy being living proof of that love.

**Yeah I know "doubting Kate", hehe!! A little angst, but I promise that it will dissipate soon. So what do you think guys? Come next chap and we'll start to see some kind of resolution. One that might shed some light on jate after all. More little Sammy as well. **


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

**Back with another update guys and it would have been sooner but to be honest I kinda lost my sense of direction with this fic. Anyhoo back on track now and I hope you guys will like this update and a big thank you to everyone who reviewed. As always please keep them coming ;)**

**P.S. What a finale eh!!**

Enjoy

"Gwand pa." a little voice was heard following the sound of a pair of feet scampering down the stairs.

"What are you doing up so late buddy?" the old man asked as he put down the book he was reading, the little boy then residing within the comfort of the man's lap when he was offered the comforting gesture.

"Why are Momma and Daddy not home yet?" he asked with genuine concern and innocence not only showing in his tone, but also in the radiating brown eyes he had so fortunately inherited from his Father and the slight hazel tinge also reminding him so much of his daughter when she was little Sammy's age.

"Gwand pa?" the boy questioned again when he failed to get a straight answer in return. Although what could Sam really say to make the boy worry any less.

"Uh…….they just had to take care of a few things buddy, and before you know it they'll be walking through that front door." he tried explaining to the little guy while gently nudging his side to lighten the moment considerably. However Little Sammy seemed a little confused instead with the response he was offered.

"Why didn't they tell me?" he inquired and the older man across from him just smiled knowingly at how much this reminded him of the way his Katie was. Always asking questions at every single instance to the point where he was left feeling uncomfortable and speechless. However he was snapped out of his nostalgic moment by a sight that demanded a good amount of precedence to do so.

The poor little mite already had tears running down his face, his incessant sniffing confirming the old man's suspicions, and with that he leaned forward to hug the boy and then rock him from side to side to soothe his tears.

After spending a few more minutes just comforting him, Sam pulled away and wiped the remnants of any visible tears scarring the little boy's precious face.

"How about I make us some hot chocolate with extra sprinkles over the top." The old man suggested with a hopeful smile.

"And marshmawwos" little Sammy added, furiously sniffing the last of his tears away.

"Sure thing buddy." Sam assured the boy with an affirmative nod while gently ushering him towards the kitchen.

(Meanwhile)

She had been sitting in the same spot for what seemed like days but in real effect it was only a few hours, four at the least but still it felt a lot longer.

She couldn't seem to think about anyone else but on what was occurring behind those closed doors.

_Why was it taking so long?_

_Is it something bad?_

_Could they not….._

_No, No stop thinking like that. Jack won't let it happen._

She firmly reminded herself while trying to also dismiss the immediate twinge she felt at the very possibility of the Southerner not making it through the operation. No matter how much she tried to shake it off it seemed to have stuck much like a stubborn stain that refused to go away.

The other thing that plagued her was what Sarah had said and remarkably hit the nail on the head as a result.

"_What, you own him too?"_

She was initially angered by receiving such an accusation but a part of her couldn't seem to deny the hard truth behind it.

What is going on with me, she took the time to ask herself as she searched her mind for an answer, and what she didn't see was that the whole time she was being closely surveyed by a pair of hate filled eyes. The reason for that hate existing due to the most obvious reason of all, this woman had something that rightfully belonged to her, and she knew that she would do everything in her power to get it, especially since the perfect opportunity only recently presented itself.

Although the more she thought about it, the more she felt……..

_Was this all worth it, more so was he worth all this trouble?_

The immediate answer to that question was answered right away due to the sheer absurdity of having to consider such a question.

_May the best woman win, _ she mentally proposed as she sneaked one last look at the distressed brunette merely feet away from where she stood hidden and observing like a watchful predator.

* * *

She knew it was risky to say the least, showing up here with nothing but a few materialistic elements to conceal her identity but she couldn't help it. She needed to know if he was alright.

"Hi, I'm here to see a patient that was admitted a few hours ago. James Ford?"

"He's in the ICU now but you're welcome to sit in the waiting area and…………"

_The ICU? Oh my God, is he okay?_

"Please, I need to see him." The woman begged in an attempt to be heard out but the woman behind the desk seemed equally adamant in what she was instructed to do in situations such as these.

"I'm sorry Mam but I'm not…………"

"PLEASE!!" she begged one last time and the woman across from her just sighed and then reluctantly refused her, but the seemingly heart broken woman across from her was far from done.

No one was going to stop her from seeing him this time. She owed it not only to herself and what they had, but also to the little girl back at home who wondered and talked about her Daddy every waking minute.

* * *

Another hour had passed and still no word.

What is taking so long? She wondered with a gnawing feeling that something may have indeed gone wrong and with that she made the move to go through and find out for herself but before she could, she found herself being stopped by a humble voice behind her.

"Excuse me Miss…..." Kate suddenly found herself being asked by a seemingly unidentifiable woman, due to the scarf and sunglasses she was wearing. Her first instinct was to simply ignore the woman but the desperation in her plea was enough to make her relent. Although what the brunette didn't sense was that she did know this woman after all, especially when the other woman finally uncovered her identity in shock.

"Kate?" the woman gasped in complete shock of seeing her here.

"Cassie?" Kate responded and questioned in a matching tone of shock.

"What are you doing here?" Kate then proceeded to continue on and ask, hoping to God that she wouldn't have to worry about yet another one of her friends.

"Could ask you the same thing." The other brunette shot back while sharing best attempts at a smile but Kate could see right through it and she immediately assumed the worst.

"Cass what is ……." Kate barely had the time to verbally convey her concern before she was met with that caused her to finally sigh in relief.

"Jack! How did it go? Is he gonna be okay?" she then proceeded to ask in a hurried manner and Jack just sighed to himself, knowing that there was no easy way to come at what he would have to unfortunately reveal.

"Uh...can I talk to you in private." Jack proposed, hoping that the woman standing next to Kate would take the hint, but his statement seemed to gain the opposite reaction altogether.

"I'm Cassie, Cassie Ford." The brunette revealed much to Jack and Kate's surprise, more so Kate who couldn't seem to form any semblance of a thought after hearing such a confession.

_He's married?_

_To Cassie?_

_Why didn't he tell me?_

"Well, uh…it's nice to meet you Mrs. Ford" Jack spoke when he felt the time was need, although he couldn't dismiss his concern over seeing Kate in such a distraught state, and he knew without a doubt that some of it had to with what had just been revealed. Never the less he shook off the uncertainty he felt and continued on with affirming this woman of her husbands' condition.

"So he's gonna be fine?" Cassie asked in a relieved but still trembling tone.

"Uh…yeah he survived the surgery but……"

"But what?" Kate took it upon herself to ask despite the weird look she received from Cassie, not to mention Jack as well.

"There was a complication. The bullet itself was lodged firmly within his spinal column and removing it ruptured……" he revealed and momentarily paused to get a hold of the frustration he felt at failing to avoid something like this.

"What does that mean?" Cassie barely got the time to ask before the vague realization of what he was getting at forced her to succumb to her growing emotions, Kate gradually following in the same manner.

"It means that he may not be able to walk again." He reluctantly confessed, abandoning the option of false hope because he was never a big fan of its supposed effects.

"Oh my God." Cassie uttered as she collapsed into the chair behind her, her hand being placed against her mouth to accent the physical shock and pain she felt over hearing this devastating news, and before she could completely give into it, Jack felt the need to offer her some shred of hope even if it was a small chance. So with that he went onto explain the possible way to overcome this and if not, then there were an array of exercises to help ease the paralysis somewhat.

By the end of it the only person who was assured was Cassie who chose to excuse herself to check on her husband, whereas Kate just stared off into space not believing in the slightest that this was happening.

"Hey" Jack suddenly announced himself from behind her, firmly ignoring the voice in the back of his head that was screaming at him to be deeply bothered by her concern for Sawyer. A feature he knew he would always feel threatened by no matter what the circumstances.

"Kate?" he questioned in a firmer tone to gain her attention once and for all, and it wasn't until he placed himself in front of her that he finally acquired her focus.

"You okay?"

"Uh…yeah, yeah I'm fine." She tried offering him but she should have known better to convince him with a forced demeanor.

"How about we get out of this place?" Jack suggested with a hopeful expression that soon diminished upon seeing her hard and obvious stare.

How can I just leave him? Was the question she kept on asking herself as she stared into the hopeful eyes of a man she loved without a doubt in her mind, but where did that leave the other man behind those hospital room doors?

_He has a wife Kate._

An unidentifiable voice firmly reminded her and she had no choice but to accept the reality of what this would entail.

_He's no longer your responsibility Kate and he's not yours to own, he never was to begin with._

"Kate" she heard her name being called by the man in front of her once again and with hearing those words one last time she pulled herself back into reality. A reality where she had a gorgeous son and a man she loved to thank for this wonderful future.

"C'mon, let's go home." She announced much to his surprise, but he wasn't one to question it because it relieved him to know that there was nothing to worry about after all. Perhaps her weird fascination for the Southerner was a thing of the past.

Little did he know that dealing with the Southerner was going to be the least of his problems.

After he had signed out he came back to her and assured her that Sawyer would receive the best treatment during his stay, and as a result she felt an immediate weight being lifted off her shoulders. They were fairly quiet on the way to the elevator, although he put it down to nothing but the fatigue of having to deal with such a long day and so much to deal with in the process.

Quite a day, he mused to himself as he glanced at the nearly dozing brunette next to him. Him feeling utterly thankful that she was here rather than in the presence of a man he knew could never satisfy her. No matter how selfish it sounded, he couldn't help but feel that way.

Kate on the other hand just basked in quaint moments such as these. However the pinging sound she heard the next moment was enough to annoyingly bring her out of it, but the loving squeeze she received from the man now embracing her was enough to soothe her just like it always did.

Words weren't needed from that point onwards as the couple headed towards the one place they felt they were needed the most, at home with each other and their son. Although not everyone would agree with that, specifically a tall blonde woman who watched on with envying eyes.

"_I'll make you see Jack. I'll make you see that we belong together instead. You, me and our little girl" _

**So it looks like Sarah isn't backing down that easily. In fact this is just the start to the tactics she's going to use in an effort to gain what her heart wants, but will Jack give in and more importantly will Kate give up that easily?**

**All will be revealed in the instalments to come. **


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

**Seeing as "Love is a funny thing" didn't do as well as I'd hoped it would, ** **both on here and LF, I think I might remove it or put it on the back burner, along with my other offline works, and try to focus on getting my old existing fics up to speed instead. **

**So without further interruption ** **here's an update and I firmly promise that a regular system of updates will follow for this fic if it generates interest :)**

A month had passed and his presence started to become a rare one around here. As much as she was immensely grateful that he was doing his best to better Sawyer's condition, she really wasn't okay with the fact that his dedication left next to no time for him to spend with her or Sammy for that matter.

Plus Jack's whole slip up of Sarah paying him worryingly frequent visits didn't exactly bode well with her. Jealous or not she had a right to not only welcome the insecurity, but also make it known to Jack.

"I'll talk to him tonight." She spontaneously proposed seeing as he had called her earlier on in the evening saying that he would be home by 8 at the latest.

Much to her dismay things didn't quite go according to plan when he ended up coming through the door well past 2 in the morning. An apologetic look on his face of which she accepted with a sense of understanding of the extreme requirements of his profession, but that all changed when her gaze dropped down to the sleeping boy in her arms. The little guy equally adamant to stay awake for Daddy, but he was clearly no match for the exhaustion he exerted himself into in the first place.

"Hey." She still tiredly acknowledged him with a forced smile, opting to dismiss the fact that she was blatantly upset over breaking the promise he had not only made to her but Sammy as well.

Surprised and relieved at the welcoming gesture, he then proceeded to walk towards his family. Desperately needing the warmth and comfort as a result of what he learned today.

"I'm sorry." He apologised while gently ruffling his fingers through the wild mop of chocolate brown hair covering Sammy's head.

"How is he?"

False hope seemed to be his only option at this point cause he knew how she would react if she knew the truth and how serious it in fact was.

So in order to refrain from causing her any unnecessary heartache, as jealous as that obviously made him, he opted for a subject change and when that too failed he then made the excuse that he was immensely tired, which was the truth to a certain extent.

Thankfully she appeared to have dropped all topics concerning Sawyer at that moment.

With Sammy tucked in bed and wished goodnight by both parents, they both set off towards their own bedroom maintaining an awkward silence along the way. Both longing to end it, and once they were within the private confines of the cosy room, Kate took it upon herself to be the brave volunteer.

"What's really going on Jack?"

------

It had been a month now and still no sign of improvement. Their constant suggestion for her to have hope was starting to weaken and put her on the verge of giving up instead, but still knew she couldn't because whether she wanted to admit or not, this man was it for her and without him the dream of having the perfect family she constantly yearned for would be gone.

Despite his faults and adamant denial of their child, which she figured was out of fear of responsibility, she still loved him and didn't want Clem to grow up only knowing her Father through pictures and stories. Most of all she didn't want her daughter to be involved in the con artist living she had no choice but to resort to once again.

It was the only way to pay the bills.

"I need you James. Our daughter needs you." Cassie truthfully confessed before allowing her emotions to get the better of her from that moment onward.

Completely unaware of the approaching police sirens outside who were called to the scene by the very person who was now standing outside Sawyer's room, a smile of accomplishment gracing their features at knowing that this brought them one step closer to fulfilling the plans they had been assigned to carry out by a supposed higher power.

"You, like the others will see the truth James."

-------

"How long does he have?"

"It depends on how long he remains comatose." He revealed in shame and honest disappointment of not being able to fix this, mainly for her, but he too didn't want this despite what may have happened between him and Southerner in the past.

"How long Jack?"

"Kate it doesn't…"

"How long?!" she firmly vowed to stick by fulfilling her curiosity to know the worst possible outcome judging by the grave symptoms.

"Six maybe eight months at the most."

"Does she know?"

"No." he plainly answered feeling as hopeless as the words currently coming out of his mouth.

"Oh God." Kate exclaimed with a matching expression of devastation and dread for a specific reason Jack was still oblivious to.

Since when did she become so concerned about Cassie?

Over the last month or so she and Cassie had become surprisingly good friends, mainly cause of their joint hatred towards a certain blonde woman named Sarah, but aside from that Kate felt the need to simply be the supportive friend for her and Sawyer, especially when she unexpectedly found out about Clementine Jane Ford.

She was surprised to say the least when she first found out, but accepted it a lot better than she would have a couple of years ago.

"I know. I should have told her but….."

"But what Jack? She has a right to know about her husband's welfare, and so does his daugh…" she started off and stopped herself from slipping up with something she was sworn to keep a secret, even from Jack. Granted she didn't like the idea of keeping this from him at first and she didn't really see the harm in his knowing in the first place, but for some reason Cassie did.

On a number of occasions she had tried to find out the reason but Cassie always blew it off with a joke, but Kate knew better yet refrained from pressing on the subject any further.

Still there was no denying that it concerned her. To the extent where she wondered if Clem was in fact real, but it was all put to rest when she was finally introduced to the literal splitting image of Sawyer. From the blue and green speckled eyes right down to wild, gold ringlets of hair angelically framing the little girl's face; she was without a doubt her Father's daughter.

"I have to go." Kate proposed while mentally working through the forming plan in her head.

"Go? Go where?" he naturally asked already assuming the obvious but unwilling to say it because it would undoubtedly surface the past he was trying so damn hard to put behind.

"There's something I have to do." She offered in the vaguest manner and quickly left the room, leaving him confused and emotionally conflicted. Though knowing no real harm could come off his assumption, he still sensed that there was something more to all of this and whether or not it involved the Southerner he felt he had a right to know.

So he did and the response he eventually got through his adamant determination to know was something he should have really braced himself for. Though what still didn't make sense to him was why it had to happen now. Why did he only know this now?

Kate on the other hand knew Cassie well enough to know how she would react once she too learned of Sawyer's seemingly inevitable fate.

"I'm coming with you." Jack confirmed in a tone that asked for no further argument and before Kate could say anything more the phone started going off.

"Hello" Jack spoke into the receiver and was left thoroughly gobsmacked by what he heard next.

"Dr. Shepard?"

"Yes…yes she's a friend of mine."

At that point nothing but panic filled Kate and naturally she assumed the worst as a result.

"Yeah, I'll be right there. Just tell them to hold on."

With that he got off the phone and was faced with none other than…..

"What's happened Jack?"

"They found her."

She did nothing but bolt for the front door, quickly picking Sammy up on the way cause waiting for her Father to come over and babysit would only waste the time Cassie didn't have.

Thankfully Jack wordlessly followed through with it just as quickly and with that they were off. Both hoping that it wasn't too late but little did they know what was really going on.

--------

"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say or do will be held against you in a court of law."

She was still in a state of shock at realising that it was all over and at the cost of the one person she never thought she'd catch sight of again.

"Ben?"

* * *

**Ooooo** **so how does she know Ben and what will ensue as a result…….**

**Continue?**


End file.
